You Will Not Walk Alone
by Kavilene
Summary: It may be noble, just keep going until you fall. But never think you may be walking alone, burdening yourself and only yourself with the responsibility of many. Allen/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own DGM.**

Note: I'm planning ahead, the plot's still not really configured, yet. So any suggestions will be fine. This chapter is just a written version of what happened in the Anime ep. 2 with some adjustments. For once, I'm not going to read over this story 10 times before publishing it (as I did for my other one) I don't care if there's grammatical or spelling mistakes, this is for leisure, right? Anyways, volunteer beta readers are most welcome, otherwise bear with my mistakes. (*bribe* beta readers can read this before it's published!)

Ahem, anyways, I talk too much. Let the story begin, enjoy!

Edit: major edits were done. improved language techniques and minor detail changes.

* * *

The sky of this particular night was cloudless. However, not a star was in sight. Beneath the heavens, a dark world was illuminated only by the large, white full moon that rose high in the sky. The burden of bringing light onto this world of darkness was something the moon had to endure alone, for it stood in solitude in the deep, dark sky.

Black bat-like golems fluttered around a tall, towering construction. Its gothic architecture emitted an eerie aura that is even further emphasized by the strange angle the moonlight landed upon it. Its foundation was set at the top of a steep mountain, so steep that it resembled a giant stone pillar rather than a natural mountain. A small bit of rock protruded out from the main body of the mountain, connected and supported by only a narrow strip of rocks.

The construction was inaccessible, almost. The sides of the mountain were so steep and the mountain was at such high altitude that a normal person wouldn't even consider climbing it. With a small slip, the chance of a human corpse remaining intact after such a fall is slim, neglectably slim.

Under such circumstances, a particular white-haired boy still scaled the cliffs. He would not be what a normal person consider to be normal, in fact, he is far from normal. From his pure white hair to his glittering silver eyes that is able to catch the slightest beams of moonlight and reflect them, to the red scar that ran down the left side of his face through his left eye that seemed more like a specially designed pattern than a scar, everything of his spelled out abnormality.

The boy wore a white dress shirt, a grey vest over it and a black blazer on the outside. His sleeves were rolled up for ease of movement. A red and black striped bow tie whipped around wildly in the wind. A pair of regular black pants and low grey boots covered the lower half of his body. Circling his head was a golden golem that stood out greatly from the swarm of black ones.

The boy ascended the cliff at a painfully slow pace. At one time, the rock he below his left foot on gave out. As the rock fell down it never touched the surface of the cliff once, not even once, emphasizing the extreme steepness of the mountain. The boy watched until it disappeared into the fog below and swallowed hard. He'd prefer not to fall off this cliff...

Audible heavy breaths echoed in the silent night as the boy finally pulled himself over the edge to the flat ground at the top of the mountain. He collapsed and sat on the floor, catching his breath. "I…I finally made it…" he breathed.

After recovering a little, the boy looked around at his suroundings. The dark depths of the thick forest caused a shiver to run down his spine. He looked up, a large, towering construction intimidated him. The eerie atmosphere and the constant bone-chilling breeze made his hair stand on ends. Doubt seeped through his thoughts. "Is this really the right place, Timcampy?" he addressed his golem. Timcampy just fluttered its wings in response.

The boy heaved a sigh. He unstrapped the suitcase from his back and stood up, dusted his pants and rolled his sleeves down. "In any case, I'll just go find out."

As the boy arrived in front of a large gate with a giant stone face on it, he looked around and said in a loud voice, "Excuse me! My name is Allen Walker. I'm here on referral from General Cross Marian. I would like to see an executive of the Order, please."

"_Take a exam by the Gatekeeper!_" a voice with heavy Australian accent suddenly said from no where.

"What?" asked Allen in confusion. He looked around for the source of the voice but all he could see was black golems. His attention returned to the giant face on the door, and decided that must be the Gatekeeper the voice spoke of, unlikely as it seemed.

"Ah! Hello…" Allen began.

The giant face suddenly jerked, it thrust its head downward so that its eyes were staring straight at the boy, its giant stone nose inches from Allen's. The boy stood still, shocked by the sudden movement and the two bulging eyes staring straight at him.

"An X-ray exam! I'll decide if you're an Akuma or a human!" The Gatekeeper announced. Two beams of light came from the Gatekeeper's eyes. They swayed until the spotlights focused on Allen.

After several seconds, the Gatekeeper jerked back and screamed, "HE FAILS~!"

"_WHAT?_" The same Australian exclaimed.

"Eh?" Allen said, confused.

"He's cursed! He fails! FAILS!" The Gatekeeper had water flowing out from its eyes and nose like four giant waterfalls. It appeared to be crying. "The pentacle on his forehead! He's one of the Milleniums Earl's followers!"

Allen froze in shock, "No…no way…"

"A spy's infiltrated! A spy's infiltrated!" The Gatekeeper continued to scream as Allen tried everything he could to stop the stone's screams.

Suddenly, something blocked the light from the moon from Allen's view. He looked up. There was a cloaked figure landing on top of the large gate, dramatically positioning himself in front of the moon. His large coat flowed behind him in the wind gracefully. Allen squinted. The person was young, Japanese. He had a head of duke blue hair, almost black, that was pulled up into a high pony tail. His eyes were cold. In his hand he held a sword, a Japanese katana.

"You've got some guts coming here alone." The cloaked youth said, ready to unsheathe his sword.

"W…wait a sec! There seems to be some misunderstanding!" Allen said as he jumped around comically in panic.

"Mugen! Unsheathe!" The blue-haired youth pulled out his sword that was glowing green in the dark. He jumped down from the gates and sliced at the white-haired stranger. Allen jumped out of the way just in time but the glowing light blinded him. Instinctively, he held out his left hand to block the attack. His left arm grew large and the red plated flesh transformed into a silver metal-like substance.

The sword wielder striked again. Allen used his left arm to block it, resulting in a deep cut on his arm.

"What's with that arm of yours?" The blue-haired youth asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"It's my Anti-Akuma Weapon. I'm an Exorcist." Allen replied.

The sword wielder turned his head sharply to the side and gave the Gatekeeper a deadly glare. "Gatekeeper!"

"Well, but I certainly saw the pentacle!" The giant face said in defense. "What if he was an Akuma?"

"Well, fine…" said the sword wielder, repositioning his sword. His eyes showed no mercy of any kind. Allen swallowed. "I'll know when I see your insides."

* * *

Allen dropped his small suitcase next to the bed in his new room and slouched against his bed. He let out a long sigh. It has been a long day... He swear, he was never going to injure his arm ever again. Komui's equipments are much too frightening for him. He will protect his arm with all his strength, anything to avoid treatment from Komui.

And that Kanda too. Even though Allen's said it over and over again, he just won't listen. He was the one who injured Allen's arm in the first place. Allen frowned. He's going to get him back some day…

The boy ruffled his own hair in frustration and suddenly realised the absence of the golden golem that rides around atop his head.

"I wonder where Timcampy went…" The white haired boy looked around his room, trying to locate the little golem.

A painting that hung on the wall caught Allen's attention. Allen crawled onto his bed and gently touched the frame of the painting.

A clown. He was walking, walking alone down a moonlit path, its destination unseen. Chains around his ankles restricted his movements while the casket carried on his back weighed him down.

_Don't stop. Keep walking._ Mana's voice echoed in the boy's mind.

Allen smiled. This painting in his room, it may be fate.

_I've finally come this far, Mana. I'm finally at the starting point. _

_I pledge to you that I'll never stop no matter what happens. _

_I will continue to walk until I meet my end._

* * *

The dining hall had rows and rows of long wooden tables. Matching wooden benches were positioned at the two long sides of each table. At this time in the morning, the entire place was filled with people having breakfast. The majority were from the Science Department, plotting the hall with patches of white. The few finders were scattered around on various tables, their cream coats were easy to spot in a field of white. The exorcists stood out the most, with their dark uniform amongst the lighter ones.

The chef of the Black order – a tall, well-built man, named Jerry – danced in the kitchen. His long lilac hair was pulled back into two low pigtails wrapped in pink ribbon, a pair of sunglasses sat on the bridge of his high nose as he danced from stove to stove. He wore a white sleeveless shirt with the Chinese symbol of love printed in large purple font on his back. He emitted a radiant aura.

The professional chef pushed three trays out from the hole in the metal bars on the counter, "Combo B, Combo C and Combo A!"

Allen walked into the dining hall and spotted the counter where he can order his food…as Lenalee, the Supervisor Komui's assistant and sister, had told him. He walked over and poked his head into a large hole in the row of metal bars, finding the chef staring at him from the stove.

Allen suddenly grew nervous as Jerry danced his way to the counter. He leaned out from the hole to stare at Allen. The chef's face was too close, causing Allen's discomfort. "Oh? Are you new?" said Jerry in a high pitched voice, a voice one wouldn't think should come from a man of Jerry's size, "What a cutie we've got!" the chef's radiant presence made him sparkle under the light of the dining hall.

Allen quickly bowed, "How do you do? My name is Allen Walker."

Jerry smiled, "Whoa! You're such a well-mannered, fine young man." A pink blush crawled up his cheeks, "What'd you like to eat? I'll make anything you want, hon!"

"Anything?" Allen paused to think, he then looked up as he made up his mind, "Then…"

Jerry nodded for him to continue.

"May I have gratin, French fries, curried pilaf, mapo tofu, beef stew, a meat pie, Carpaccio, nasi goreng, fried chicken, tuna salad, scones, kukpap, tom yam kung, and rice. Also, for dessert, I'd like mango pudding and mitarashi-dango…20 sticks!"

Jerry listened wide eyed, "Are you really going to eat that much?"

Allen was just about to nod when his head got shoved away by a hand. The white haired boy stumbled to the side to prevent himself from falling. He held a hand to his head where he just got pushed and looked up. For a couple of seconds, he suffered from an unexplainable paralysis.

Standing there at the counter was a girl about the same age and height as Allen. She had long black hair, tied into a high ponytail, falling straight down her back ending between her shoulder blades. She was wearing the exorcists' uniformed coat, only a little different. It was shorter, only reaching the back of her knee. The buttons were also positioned differently. She had a row of buttons from her chest to her waist and the lower half was left open. She didn't have a hood either, in its place was a Napoleonic collar. It was opened to reveal a white shirt. A loose coil of whip was strapped to a leather belt that sat at her hip. Her tight black pants were tucked inside a pair of black leather knee-high boots.

Allen stared at the female exorcist; she seemed to have a mixed ancestry of both Asia and Europe. The white haired boy had to admit that mixes of the two types of genes do not make a bad combination in terms of appearance, or at least on this girl they did not. She also emitted an air of superiority.

"Hammerhead. Double." The girl stated bluntly into the hole on the counter.

The high pitched voice of the high chef was heard coming from within the hole, "Dem-chan, girls your age shouldn't be having something that strong first thing in the morning! It would be better if you don't drink that on an empty stomach! Why don't you get one of my combo meals? Would you like to try my new recipe? Or would you rather hav-"

"No," obvious impatience was heard in that one word.

A loud sigh came from within the kitchen as Jerry moved over to the coffee machine. "You're in a bad mood today, huh? Dem-chan. Where did you shove that cute young gentleman to? Weren't you on a mission? Or did you return last night? Blah, blah, blah…"

Allen stood there, staring at the Eurasian exorcist. _Hey, wait…_Allen thought, _did she just…PUSH IN?_ Sudden realization hit him with full force.

The white haired boy walked back to the kitchen counter, he boldly confronted the girl and straightened his back. The female felt a pair of eyes on her and turned to see the source of the stare.

They stared at each other for a couple of silent seconds. Allen felt a shiver down his back. Her eyes. They were like two endless voids that seemed to suck you in. To escape, he decided to break the silence and introduce himself.

"Nice to meet you. I am Allen Wa-"

"WHAT'D YOU SAY? SAY THAT AGAIN!" A loud voice echoed around the dining hall, followed by a loud crash. Allen's attention was drawn to the man screaming at the top of his lungs in the middle of the dining hall. The man was tall, a finder. He was bald and light blue triangular shapes marked his forehead and both cheeks. The entire dining hall watched the argument between that tall man and…Kanda? Allen spotted the sword-wielder sitting on a bench in front of the screaming finder. The Japanese sat unmoving, his posture clearly indicated he could not have been more uninterested.

"Hey, stop it, Bazu." Another shorter finder attempted to calm the larger man down, but failed miserably.

"You guys are annoying," Kanda lowered his chopsticks onto the cup containing the sauce for his soba.

Jerry slid a cup of coffee on a saucer through the hole in the wall, where the Eurasian girl was waiting. She muttered a quiet thanks, took the coffee and turned to walk towards the row of tables. She seemed to be not surprised by the commotion at all, as if this happens every day.

"All the talk about dead people is making my meal taste bad." continued Kanda in a cold voice.

"IS THAT HOW YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR COMRADES WHO DIED IN THE LINE OF DUTY?"questioned the large finder, Bazu.

Allen watched as the girl walked down the aisle. Her presumed destination appeared to be blocked by the crowd and she just sat down at a table to the side where no one blocked her path.

Allen heard someone whisper, "_Hey, the little demon's here."_

"We finders risk our LIVES to help you exorcists out! And yet…And yet…" Bazu pulled his arm back, his hand in a fist. "…YOU SAY WE ARE MAKING YOUR MEAL TASTE BAD?" Bazu's fist flew at Kanda. Kanda turned in the other direction, successfully dodging the fist. He stood up and held Bazu by his neck. The smaller exorcist then lifted the large finder off the ground, causing the finder to choke. He tried to struggle free but it was no use.

"Help us out, you say? Isn't the truth that you can't do anything _but_ help out?" The exorcist spat, a sadistic grin plastered his face.

The girl lowered her cup of coffee from her lips. She slowly placed the cup back onto the saucer. A small 'ting' sounded and echoed slightly before fading away. Allen silently admired the fine quality of the dining utensils of the Order.

"None of you were able to become exorcists. You're losers who didn't get chosen by the Innocence!"

The Eurasian exorcist touched a hand to her forehead, as if she was getting a headache. Her other hand slowly moved down to her belt and she touched her whip.

"Finders can be easily replaced at any time. If you don't wanna die, then leave!" Kanda tightened his grip on Bazu's throat, murderous intent shone in his eyes.

Finders lunged at Kanda in every direction within the dining hall, some attempting to rescue their comrade, some trying to take revenge on the ungrateful exorcist.

Following an annoyed sigh, a quiet but threateningly cold voice reached the ears of everyone in the noisy dining hall, "Kanda." All sounds ceased. Suspense hung thick in the air, to a degree that it's almost suffocating. The sword wielder froze.

A millisecond later, a red hand grabbed Kanda's wrist. It forcefully lowered the Japanese exorcist's arm, the feet of a previously suspended Bazu landed back on the ground.

"Stop," everyone's gaze landed on the white haired exorcist, "Sorry to butt in, but I don't think you should talk that way." Allen stated rather politely, considering the situation.

"Let go…bean sprout…" Kanda warned.

"Bean Sprout? My name is Allen." The shorter exorcist corrected innocently.

Somewhere behind the crowd of finders, the Eurasian girl poured the last bit of her drink into her mouth, stood up and stretched.

"If you last a whole month without dying, I'll make a note of your name," Kanda said in a bored tone, "people who work here die all the time…like these guys…"

Allen tightened his left hand around Kanda's wrist, forcing him to release Bazu's throat. The large finder collapsed back on the ground, several of his comrades surrounded him to check if he was alright. The girl walked to Bazu. The large finder felt something block the light from the ceiling and looked up to see the Eurasian exorcist standing before him.

"You shouldn't say things like that." Allen frowned, his left hand still holding onto Kanda's wrist.

Kanda twisted his wrist away from Allen's hand, "I don't want to be touched by someone who's cursed." The blue haired man glared at the younger boy.

"Hey…" the girl said, in a sort of bored tone. "You okay?" The Eurasian exorcist stood over the said finder. The attention then shifted from the two arguing exorcists to the girl and the large find. Bazu nodded and the girl's lips pulled into a half-hearted smile.

"I'd like to apologise in stupid Kanda's stead."

Bazu looked into the young girl's eyes. As he stared into those big, earnest onyx eyes. Bazu suddenly felt obligated to forgive. If he, a man in his early thirties, did not accept an earnest apology from a 15 year old girl, then how was he better than the ungrateful Japanese exorcist.

"Apology accepted," grumbled the finder, looking away to stare at anything but her eyes.

The girl's smile grew slightly wider for a moment and then it suddenly disappeared, replaced by the same uninterested look she wore all morning. "Ok everyone! Bazu said he's ok and he forgives Kanda. Please don't hold a grudge against him. We should forgive those who are not blessed with the gift of intellect as we have."

Several finders, scientists and Allen snickered at the indirect insult against the Japanese. Kanda, who being not as stupid as the girl implied, was ready to tackle her but was only kept back by the large amount of finders in the way. He put all his anger against the girl into his glare.

The concentrated crowd slowly dispersed as the commotion ended. To most of the on-lookers, it was already enough of a morning and some headed out to their duties. Bazu was helped up and dragged off to the infirmary.

The girl sighed and turned to face Kanda and Allen who were both still staring at her. Kanda's gaze murderous and Allen's slightly amused. As she met Kanda's gaze he quickly frowned with an angry/annoyed/unsatisfied look on his face. The girl grinned, a bit childishly, but the hint of triumph was evident. "You owe me."

Kanda glared back, "What are you talking about, you brat! I'll kill you for what you said earlier! I'll slice you into a million pieces!"

"Right." The girl answered. "Feel free to do that. And remember, a man's got to keep his words. You must slice me up to exactly one million pieces, no less, no more. Just one million pieces. And remember to count everything. And I'll tell you why you owe me. If I wasn't there, you'd be killed by a million finders."

"Why would I waste time doing that? You'll be mush when I'l done with you! Ha! As if mere finders can kill me!"

"Me turning into mush? That just proves a lack of swordsmanship on your part. A good swordsman with a good sword should be able to cut cleanly, not turning their target into mush."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? DID YOU JUST INSULT MY SWORDSMANSHIP?"

She turned around to pick up her empty cup and saucer to wash and return to the kitchen. She had obviously heard Kanda's comeback but her actions suggest his words came in the right ear and went out the left…or may be the other way around? In left and out right? Never mind that, it just went out. Kanda, on the other hand, took the silence as the girl's admitted defeat and crossed his arms across his chest in a slightly triumphant fashion.

The girl headed towards the kitchen. She stopped suddenly and stared back at Allen, who was still staring at her, as if she just noticed his presence.

Allen snapped out of his trance as he saw the girl looking back at him. He held out his left hand, intending to finish the self-introduction he began before the riot took place. "Nice to meet you. I'm Allen Walker."

Allen half expected the girl to turn and walk away like Kanda did, but the seemingly more polite girl gladly took the boy's hand with a light smile. "Desdemona, shorten it anyway you like. I don't really care." The white-haired boy was drawn to her neck where something was glittering. Hanging at her neck was a gold chain with a pendant. It was only visible since her top button was undone. The pendant was of three five-pointed stars lined up vertically, each a different colour, the top one bronze, the second one silver and the bottom one gold.

Allen returned the smile, the previous 'SHE PUSHED IN!' incident disappeared somewhere at the back of his mind.

"He's the type to die young. I hate people like him," said Kanda, to no one in particular…or maybe just talking to himself. Though, the situation made it seem like he was talking to Desdemona, who was actually 10 metres away at that moment, washing the cup and the saucer in a sink inside the kitchen.

"Thanks," Allen responded sarcastically. Kanda glared at him, Allen glared back. The temperature of the hall dropped a few degrees.

The remaining finders and scientists quickly 'evacuated' as the air surrounding the two crackled with electricity.

Desdemona gave the clean saucer and cup back to Jerry. "Thank you, Dem!" Jerry chimed happily. The girl looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "I better get going, Komui's giving me another mission today."

Jerry frowned, "Another mission? Didn't you just return from one last night?"

Desdemona, who was already heading out of the dining hall, called back over her shoulder, "Correction: this morning at 00:30."

As Desdemona exited the dining hall, she bumped into Lenalee and Reever.

"Oh, welcome back, Dem! When did you come back?" asked Reever.

The younger girl rolled her eyes, "This morning, 00:30."

Lenalee laughed lightly at Desdemona's reaction, "Oh and by the way, have you seen Kanda or Allen? Ah, Allen is the new exorcist with pure white hair."

The Eurasian girl looked back into the dining hall, Lenalee followed her gaze. The air that previously crackled with electricity was now lit on fire, enveloping the two male exorcists.

"Kanda! Allen!" The said two stiffly turned to the source of the voice that was Reever. Their eyes looked like they'll pop out anytime. Section Chief Reever, who was to be found crouching behind Lenalee, announced to the two male exorcists, "Eat your food in ten minutes and come to the Command Room. You've got a mission."

* * *

Desdemona stood in front of the desk for an entire ten minutes. She hated her own habit of arriving before the appointed time, but habits aren't that easily changed.

Komui was sleeping face down on the infamous desk, surrounded by mountains of paperwork and books. No, not only the desk was of mountainous landscape, but the entire room was filled paper roughly stacked together in an disorderly fashion, creating a landscape so rare that even nature would gape at the sight of it. A barely walkable pathway wound through the mountains from the door to the desk. At about 2 metres from the desk was a royal red Victorian Chaise three-seater…which was also piled with paper.

The Eurasian girl stood there, waiting patiently, or not exactly so. She had tried numerous ways to wake him up: from making all sort of loud noises with the available resources to smashing three thick books on the chief's head, which Desdemona later regretted. What's the order going to do if the Supervisor got irreparable brain damage? When she ran out of ideas to wake this man, the only thing left to do was to simply stand there and wait.

She wondered what this mission is.

Which reminded her of the unenjoyable mission she had been on previously...

_They were due back around 6:00pm today. Desdemona and the two finders were already on the train back 'home' and the train was running right on time. The unnecessary mission she had been on was the result of 'false information' from some certain finder._

_The information said that a household in northern Paris had been reporting to the officials that there was a ghost in their house. Every night they can hear floor boards creaking, squeaky voices are heard and every morning, they would find the contents of their rubbish bin on the floor around the bin itself. Some stupid finder insisted that it must have been the doings of Innocence, so Komui sent Desdemona and two finders to check it out. One of them being that insistent finder himself._

_In the end, there was no Innocence found, but one basement full of rats. Why the hell did they need exorcists on this mission, why didn't they just send a team of pest controllers instead?_

_Desdemona hadn't been in a good mood since the discovery of the rats. Fortunately, the train was on time...for once. All seemed good until the train stopped._

"_Dear Passengers," the intercom crackled, "We are very sorry for the inconvenience. There has been a problem with the engine. For that reason, the train will be delayed. We ask for your patience. The problem will be fixed very soon."_

_The said engine problem took almost 4 hours to fix. Very soon...totally._

_Finally, the train started moving again. It was already 5 hours late, so Desdemona gave up all hopes of returning on time. Luck hadn't been on her side since the beginning of this mission anyway._

_Everything went somewhat well after that (keyword, SOMEWHAT, considering that fact that the insistent finder with the false information threw up twice). They arrived at the Order 00:30 in the morning. Reever greeted them at the underground dock. The Science Department had always been working overtime, so being awake at this ungodly hour of the 'day' was nothing to be shocked about._

_She headed to the Supervisor's office to report on her fruitless mission but was only greeted with another mission the next morning. She will be briefed at 7:30 am._

_The Eurasian girl finally snapped and was about to deny the mission with some slightly colorful language when Komui said:_

"_But…" his voice went up a notch, "There's a new exorcist that came a few hours ago. I have wanted to send him on a mission with one of the more experienced ones. I was to send Kanda and you on this mission but considering the situation, would it be better if you were to stay here and rest while I send Allen on this mission instead? But, of course, if you'd like to go on this mission, I'll still have the new kid tagging along. Experience in battle is crucial to survival after all."_

_Desdemona hated being ordered around doing unreasonable things for the Order, but she hated the fact that she would be replaced even more. As if she wasn't needed, as if she was easily replaceable. Her immediate hatred towards this new kid 'Allen' formed; even though she knew that it was prejudice playing with her exhausted mind, she cannot help but to feel the need to reassure her superiority over this 'Allen' kid, whoever he is._

_As if being on a mission with Kanda in the first place wasn't bad enough already. The Japanese was not only arrogant and unpleasant to be around but also intellect-deprived._

_Her rage was building up inside her, amplified many times by her extreme exhaustion. However, she simply buried her rage, put on a smile and gladly accepted the mission._

_She returned to her room shortly afterwards, thinking that it will finally be the end of a long day. Her bedside clock indicated 00:45, she'd probably get at least 5 hours of sleep, which should be enough._

_As finally finally finally, she sank into the coolness of her bed. The uniformed white sheets of the Order surrounded her. Desdemona saw the promising long deep sleep and was just about to drift away to fantasy land when…_

_Creak_

_Creak_

_Creak_

_Creak_

_What the HELL?_

_Creak_

_Where's that coming from?_

_Creak_

_Next door? There's only one room next to Desdemona's room since her room is the last one in this aisle, and that one doesn't have anyone living in it._

_Creak_

_The painfully loud creaks continued the entire night/morning until sunrise. Desdemona never got her rightful daily share of rest._

_Creak_

_As the creaking sound finally stopped, Desdemona noted the time, 6:30. An hour away from the brief. Her hopes of getting any descant sleep were long ago crushed. So many times she had wanted to barge in next door and scream at whoever was making those horrid noises, but in the end, she never bothered to._

_The stupid mission along with a sleepless night had the Eurasian exorcist in a bad mood. Extremely bad mood. In fact, she's in such a bad mood that her manners, have dispersed into a new low._

_Low enough to make her shove the new kid's head away from the kitchen counter out of pure amplified hatred. How did she know he was the new kid and not some random finder? He didn't wear his uniform. She didn't know herself either, it'd probably be what Master would proclaim as a female's intuition in cases of hateable males. _

_The white hair that made him look like a old man; the way of clothing that was so annoyingly casually formal; the manners that would have her Master skipping in wonderland; the red scar of curse that sat perfectly on his upper and lower eyelids; and his silver eyes shone of purity, and was complimented by his hair. The overall impression was odd. He was like an old man but also an immature kid. He was a gentleman but also a crude child. He was cursed but his eyes shone of purity. He was everything and yet nothing at the same time. It is frustrating to look at him, however, his face held a certain amount of pleasant features that she wouldn't mind staring at if disembled from his face and existed in solitude._

_What is this?_

_She was secretly thankful when Bazu started screaming, which saved her from the impending conversation with this Allen._

_She walked over to her usual seat in the dining hall, but Kanda was sitting near that seat and so the surrounding finders blocked her way to the seat. She ended up sitting on the side where no one blocked her._

_And then, came the usual. Verbal turns to physical. Finders never learn. Epic 1 intelligence-depleted Exorcist vs. 9999999999 angry finders. They are going to die. However, it would be much more pleasant to stop this thing now than scraping diced human remains off the floors later._

_As far as she could remember, she always had to clean up fights. It was always like this when her brother picked fights all the time..._

_A verbal apology mixed with a public insult towards Kanda made her feel victorious. Even though he's older than her and kept stressing that point to make her 'respect' him, she never saw any substantial qualities of the Japanese worth respecting...other than his stupid 'Samurai Pride' which causes him to do the most stupid things any human could possibly do._

_However, back to this Allen guy. She really didn't want to shake his hand. She debated whether to pretend to shake his hand then punching him in the face. In the end, she gave up on that idea and just shook the hand with a smile...He irritated her to no end._

BANG!

The female exorcists snapped out of her thoughts. She turned to the source of the sound.

The large double door of Komui's office slammed open and four figures walked into the room. In the lead was Reever carrying books, followed by Lenalee, carrying a similar-sized pile of books. Lagging behind them were two unhappy faces, short white hair marked the arrival of Allen, long navy hair indicated the presence of Kanda.

"Dem! You are always early! You must be here for 10 minutes already!" Lenalee didn't sound the least bit shocked, rather a bit accusing, the accusations were towards her brother.

"Although that's a very nice habit of yours, Dem, you should know to never come early when it's a brief with Komui." Reever lowered his pile of books down on the overflowing table and slapped the said supervisor's head. When no response came, Reever whispered into the Komui's ear, "Lenalee is getting married."

Komui's reactions were immediate. His slouched body was jolted upright, his right arm shot out in front of him in an attempt to grab Lenalee, who was lowering her pile of books on the floor. "Lenalee!" he exclaimed, two streams of water flowed from his eyes, "How can you get married without telling your own brother?"

Disbelief showed up on all the exorcists' faces, except Lenalee, who was blushing in embarrassment and hit her brother in the head.

Reever noticed the exorcists' reactions and apologized, "Sorry about that, it's the only way to wake him up."

Desdemona made a quick mental note for future reference.

Lenalee stalked angrily out of the room to help the rest of the Science Department. The royal red Victorian Chaise three-seater was cleared for the three remaining exorcists to sit. Komui stood at his desk with an aura of seriousness.

Kanda and Allen automatically sat down each on the opposite end of the couch, leaving Desdemona with no choice but to sit in between the two males. Reever handed them each a copy of a detailed version of the brief. It was compiled into a hard-cover book.

"All right, we don't have much time, so after you hear the summary, move out. If you want more detailed information, just read the book while you head to your destination," said Komui in an urgent tone.

The two males with intelligence depletion finally realized that they were being sent on a mission together. Their heads snapped around to glare past the girl at each other. "Yes, you three will all go together. I have suggested that Dem stay and Allen will be sent instead but…"

The air grew tense as the two teenage males looked helplessly at Komui, "Err…what? You aren't getting along well?" Komui glanced at two helpless faces and sighed, "No excuses!" Komui's tone was final. Desdemona sighed in exasperation, she had a bad feeling about this mission. She started reading her book. The girl glowered at the first word that came into her vision "…ghost…" she growled, "Komui, is this another stupid ghost one?" her tone impatient.

Komui only smiled knowingly in response. "Read on." He instructed and the girl obeyed.

"We have found Innocence in Southern Italy," Komui said, "but it is targeted by several Akumas. Your job is to destroy the enemy and secure the Inno-"

BANG!

The girl slammed the hard-covered book shut. She stood up sharply and glared at the supervisor. Her face was extremely serious. There was no hint of her uninterested expression she had on all morning. Komui, for once serious, glared back at the girl. The exchange of eye contact was not menacing. Rather, it was an agreement on how serious and urgent this matter is, only Desdemona's glare had a certain amount of wary and accusation mixed within.

The girl removed her eyes from the chief and looked to the two - in her own opinion - stupid creatures. One of which was staring at her with large, innocent silver eyes, and the other one buried his nose into the book. Desdemona suddenly got an urge to slam her head on the wall.

"We have to hurry."

The exorcists headed out, leaving the supervisor alone in his room. Komui sighed. Children these days are so impatient. He touched his forehead with his hand and shook his head before his rare seriousness appeared again. A small smile lingered on his lips as he stared out the door the exorcists had just walked thtough.

_That is why I made sure you went on this mission._

* * *

"What an amazing cabin!" Allen looked around excitedly; he never thought that they would be riding in a First Class cabin.

The cabin was very large. Two red couches faced each other. The red carpet shone with cleaness. The glass of the window was of premium quality and green curtains hung on either side of the window frame. On the door of the cabin, the words 'First Class' were engraved into a polished metal plate.

Kanda sat down a couch near the window. Allen sat on the opposite couch. Desdemona placed herself as far from the other two as possible, on the same side as Kanda but closest to the door. The finder stood outside.

The two male exorcists took out their books and began to read. Desdemona absent-mindedly wondered where she put that book… Out of boredom, she played with her pendant around her neck.

"All right," the white haired exorcist began, "The question I was wondering about earlier…"Allen looked at the two more experienced exorcists. "What does this eerie legend have to do with the Innocence?"

Kanda was too lazy to explain, and gave a simple 'che' in response. Desdemona 'hm'-ed in amusement.

_He just 'che'-ed me!_ Allen mentally exclaimed, _And she just 'hm'-ed me!_

An exasperated sigh came from the female, although her prejudiced hatred towards Allen had receded with her recovering mood, her misfortune of having to go on this mission with the two tested her patience to a certain extent.

"Innocence is a substance," Kanda explained impatiently, "Every time it appears, weird things happen too."

"So that means the 'Ghost of Martel' might have something to do with Innocence?" Allen asked the older male.

"Yeah."

"So...what exactly IS the Ghost of Martel?" The white haired exorcist wondered out loud. His question was soon answered when he read the next bit of information. "Wait, this is?"

"That's right," Toma's voice came from the other side of the door, "I was part of the investigation, so I have seen it before."

"The Ghost of Martel isn't a ghost," Desdemona's continued the explanation. "The city of Martel was also called 'The Land Forsaken by God'. It is located between dry land and rocks. As you can imagine, the land is infertile, unable to provide for the people. While living in despair, the people of Martel started creating dolls in order to take their minds off their situation."

Desdemona stopped fiddling with her three starred pendant, she looked up and stared straight into Allen's silver eyes. The English exorcist visibly flinched as those big onyx eyes saw into him. He felt transparent, under that gaze, those eyes seemed to see into his every thought. He forced himself to look away and gaze out the window. Even though the gaze was intimidating and made him feel vulnerable, there's something deep in there that made Allen want to stare longer.

Desdemona searched Allen's silver eyes. Even though they are practically grey, they have a light, a shine in them, that made them shine like silver. "But in the end they got tired of it and moved away. However, one of these dolls still move today, even after 500 years."

"You mean…the Ghost of Martel is only a doll?"

"It wouldn't be surprising if Innocence was used to create these dolls," Kanda answered instead, but it sounded more like he was muttering to himself. Kanda turned his head to the girl, "Hey, when did you come back last night? You were supposed to come back at six," he said in a demanding fashion.

"Why do I have to tell you?" the young girl questioned back.

"Because I told you to tell me," the older male raised his voice.

"What makes you think I will tell you just because you told me to tell you?"

"Che," retorted Kanda.

"You can just say you want to know because you care and was worried about me," Desdemona offered.

"Che." _Stupid girl. Because you're late I needed to take care of this bean sprout last night._

"Oh yeah," the girl touched a finger to her chin, "Do I have to remind you? You still owe me."

"What? I owe you nothing."

Desdemona feigned shock, "Oh, my! Do you have short term memory loss? One would not be surprised, then, if your brain is the same size as that of a goldfish." sarcasm dripped from Desdemona's tone. The older exorcist narrowed his eyes at the female. Allen snickered, something that he later regretted doing.

The two arguing exorcists turned their heads sharply towards the white haired exorcist, who held up his hands in a defensive manner. Kanda's eyes were glowering with murderous rage while Desdemona gave a knowing smile. Allen smiled back, trying to be as subtle as possible.

Kanda noticed the exchange of smiles as he looked from Allen to Desdemona and from Desdemona back to Allen. The sword wielder felt as if the two of them were making fun of him, and he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. Out of impulse, Kanda reached to get Mugen.

"Fine," the Eurasian exorcist shrugged and said just as the Japanese was about to touch his sword. Kanda stopped. "I came back this morning at 00:30 because of a mechanical error of the train. The train was delayed for 5 or so hours." Kanda relaxed, but she continued. "Last night, something from the room next door was creaking all night, I couldn't sleep.*" she complained.

Allen froze at her words, "Um…Desdemona? May I ask which room is yours?"

"Hm? Why? The last room to the east on the 59th floor." Desdemona noticed Allen's unease and couldn't figure out why. Kanda also noticed the little sweat drops appearing on Allen's forehead and the way Allen was trying desperately not to meet anyone's eyes.

The Japanese exorcist grinned to himself. There was only one explanation: Allen came to the Order last night, he was given a room. There were only a couple of spare rooms left, one of which was the room next to Desdemona.

"Why didn't you just go to the room and see what or who was making the sounds?" Kanda asked on purpose, Allen's reactions were amusing to watch.

"The last time I invested creaking sounds in the middle of the night I came across a basement full of rats," Desdemona replied with venom in her voice, referring to her previous mission.

"The Headquarters don't have rats, it must have been a human."

"Yes, I realised that after I started thinking properly." the girl said with a shrug. Then, her eyes became murderous, her glare could cause a big mountain lion to cower in fear. "I swear, if I ever find out who it was, I _will_ tear him/her up limb by limb and feed him/her to a pack of hungry wolves."

Kanda, impressed by the Eurasian girl's threats, looked sneakily back to Allen. The poor boy had his hands clenched into fists on his knees, his body was extremely tense and sweat was pouring off his forehead like a waterfall.

The sword wielder grinned in satisfaction.

Suddenly, the Eurasian girl stood up and opened the door of the cabin. When the two male exorcists just sat there and stared in confusion, she turned around and pointed out the window, "We are nearly there." Both Kanda and Allen turned to look out the window, but all they could see were the vast rocky landscape that stretched endlessly on.

* * *

*A/N If you don't know, that was when Allen balanced himself on a tilted chair vertically and upside down and was doing those impressive push ups with only his right thumb supporting him.

*Rant mode* Haha, I just love the sexy gentleman clown who wears formal cloths who play the piano (standing up) who is awesome who is cursed who is funny who has a big appetite who is the main character who which won't die until the story ends (most important point) and…no more whos. XD

Whatever you think/suggestions for plots/suggestions for funny side stories/ANYTHING to throw at me

Just say it in a review or PM. Thank you. *mutteritalktoomuchmutter*

EDIT: Major edit. Rearranged chapters and stuff.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.

Special Thanks To:

**Xx. Envy Wrath .Xx (for the first review for this story)**

**EyesofTCN**

**Crimson .light .of .Death**

**Variation on Ink**

**And all of those who faved or subscribed :D**

******Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

Allen, Kanda, Desdemona and Toma ran swiftly across the rocky plains. The ruins of the abandoned town became closer and closer. A sudden gust of bone-chilling wind whipped past them as the four stopped at the edge of a cliff over-looking the ancient town.

The three exorcists tensed. The ruins were old and tattered, but the clearly distinguishable marks of a recent battle caught their attentions. Several bodies with the finder's cream uniform lay on the ground.

"Damn, we are late." Kanda muttered to himself. "Hey you," Allen somehow knew the Japanese was talking to him, so he turned to show he was listening. "I'll tell you this beforehand. I don't care if you're dying, if I find you a bother I'll leave you behind. In war there are always sacrifices, so don't think we will come to recue you."

"I don't like your way of thinking," the white haired exorcist stated grimly.

"Few tips for you," the Eurasian exorcist said coldly, "Don't act on impulse, don't try to save anyone, stay alive. And, Allen Walker, don't get in my way. If you do, I _will_ kill you myself."

Allen stared in disbelief. What's wrong with these people? How can they be so cold-hearted? Are they human?

A loud bang caught the exorcists' attention. At the centre of the town, an explosion lit the night sky orange. A Level 2 akuma stood with one foot on the head of a finder. Two other Level 1 akumas were repeatedly attacking a single target that was obscured from view by the smoke.

"Damn human!" the Level 2's scream could be heard over the resonating sound of the explosion.

The smoke cleared, a glowing cube floated in mid-air. Four barrier machines were each located at one corner of the base of the cube. Two figures sat huddled inside the cube, they had on similar attire, browned tattered shawls and a tall pointed hat. The larger figure's face was hidden from view, the smaller figure had bandages wrapped around her head, covering her left eye.

"We…We won't hand over the Innocence to you, akuma!" The finder managed to choke out. The level 2 akuma slammed its foot down on the finder's skull.

"STOP IT!" A flash of white hair and Allen appeared in front of the Level 2 akuma. His activated anti-akuma weapon slashed at the Level 2.

The Level 2 caught Allen's left arm and at the same time, immobilising it. It pulled his leg back and landed a powerful kick straight across Allen's stomach. The white haired exorcist was then sent flying into the building behind, the impact made a hole in the wall.

Kanda watched, "Idiot, rushing in before thinking it over. He's probably a Level 2. Plus his special abilities are still unknown to us." Desdemona mentally face-palmed. She did warn him before. Righteous people are stupid.

Timcampy fluttered around a pile of debris. Allen's left arm shot out from beneath the pile of bricks and lifted a large piece of the wall to free himself. "You are the one that killed the finders!" The white haired exorcist accused, his cursed eye reacted to his anger, turning his pupil red and the white part black. The Level 2 akuma smiled a sadistic smile and charged towards the exorcist.

"The barrier won't last much longer," Desdemona observed. A large crater has appeared beneath the cube as a result of the attacks from the two Level 1 akumas. "Leave the Level 2 to him; he should at least be able to distract it until we get them out."

The Japanese exorcist drew out his sword, "Psh." He held Mugen in front of him with his left hand then ran his index and middle finder along the side of the blade, "Innocence activate!". The katana started glowing brightly. "Let's go," Kanda said to Desdemona without even looking back.

The female exorcist wrapped her hand around the handle of her whip, "Thora, activate!" The small cross embedded into the handle of the whip glowed dimly green. She tugged on the handle and the leather whip was freed from her belt. It uncoiled and the entire whip started to glow the same green, brighter and brighter. Desdemona brought her arm down, a loud clash echoed as the leather slashed against the air, like the thunder during a storm.

The navy haired exorcist jumped from the roof, the crescent moon shone from behind and his coat flowed epically behind him. Desdemona never understood how he always manages appear as an artistic silhouette to every onlooker no matter where he is. She rolled her eyes, narcissist.

"Illusionary Technique," the swordsman said, "Herald of Woe. Beasts of the Underworld!" Kanda slashed his sword in mid air, leaving a long, glowing white trail, as if he sliced open the air and created an gateway. Ghostly insects with bright red eyes appeared from within the slash and charged at one of the Level 1 akumas.

The insects penetrated the body of the closer akuma, the machine exploded into dust. The surviving akuma turned at the sound of the explosion.

Desdemona jumped down from the rooftop, her weighted boots kept her in an upright position. She caught the whip in several sections and held it in a loose loop for convenience. Once she touched the ground, she ran towards the surviving Level 1.

The slow akuma was pointing several of its cannons and guns at Kanda, who was putting Mugen back into the sheath on his back. The small female lashed out. The long whip extended and wrapped itself around the large body of the unsuspecting akuma several times. Desdemona then yanked the whip back with all her strength, throwing the akuma into the building behind. Her heavy boots kept her feet in place. She tugged her whip free from the akuma's body as it shrank back to its original length.

The female exorcist ran towards the akuma lying in the debris and jumped above the akuma. When she was straight above the machine, she lashed out her whip, Thora. The leather dug deep into the flesh of the akuma and it also exploded into dust.

Kanda located a finder who was still alive and knelt down beside to him. "Hey, what's the deactivation code for the barrier?"

"Y…You came, exorcist," the finder managed to choke out.

"If you don't want you and your comrades to die in vain then hurry up and answer me," Kanda urged.

"Have Hope…Have Hope…" the finder said with his last breath and went limp against the stone wall behind him.

Kanda stood up and walked towards the barrier, but Desdemona got there first. She had been close enough to hear the finder's last words and managed to deactivate the barrier.

The two figures looked up at Desdemona, a glint of recognition lit up the smaller one's visible eye. "You are…"

Kanda came up behind Desdemona. The small figure's eye trailed over to the taller man.

"Quick, come with us. We've got to get out you out of here," Desdemona urged.

Kanda threw the larger figure over his shoulder and Desdemona had the smaller one on her back.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" The Level 2 screamed at the two dark haired exorcists. Desdemona ignored it and ran towards the denser cluster of constructions where she may be able to find some hiding place. Kanda looked back to check on Allen, who seemed to be slightly wounded. "I won't help you defeat him. It was your fault that you acted on your emotions in the first place!" Kanda said when Allen met his eyes.

"All right, go ahead," Allen replied, "I'll destroy this akuma and then get going."

Kanda spared one last look at the younger exorcist before going after Desdemona.

* * *

"An underground path?" Kanda asked.

"Yes, the citizens built an underground area to protect themselves. It's like a maze. There's an exit that leads us through the cliffs and out to the sea. The "Akuma" can fly, so I think it's better if we use the underground path." the girl on Desdemona's back explained.

Kanda evaluated the offer.

"That might be the only way." Desdemona said.

A buzzing sound came from Kanda's coat and his black golem popped out from his collar. Kanda lowered the man down and leaned him against the wall. Desdemona did the same with the girl. She then sat down next to the two on the floor. Even though she was used to the extra weight on her legs, it still decreased her stamina.

The small girl reattached herself to the man and stared at the female exorcist. Desdemona turned when she felt the stare. She put a finger to her closed lips and smiled.

"How are things there?" Kanda talked into the golem.

Toma's voice replied, "_There seemed to be a heavy battle going on, then I heard a loud blast, and now Sir Walker's whereabouts are unknown_," he paused, sadistic laughter was heard in the background, "_Oh, it seems that only the akuma has come out, it's trying to catch the golem._"

Kanda thought for a while, "All right. I'll send my golem as a guide, bring Timcampy. We need Tim's ability right now."

"_Ok,_" Toma's said in the foreground. While in the background, the sadistic laughter of the akuma continued. "_Heheheh! I'll kill you too! Eiya! Hyahahahah!_"

Kanda stopped the transmission. The small bat-like mechanism fluttered away and out of the alley, it soon disappeared over the edge of a building.

The older exorcist turned back to the three on the floor. The man and the girl seemed inseparable. Desdemona sat there hugging her legs. "All right, we're going underground," he announced, "Do you know the path?" He asked the two.

Forcibly, and a bit too eagerly, the large figure spoke, "I do."

Desdemona's head snapped up, she looked at the large figure with confusion in her eyes. "Guzol…" the smaller figure breathed. Kanda saw the subtle expressions of confusion but dismissed it as unworthy detail.

The large figure raised an arm to his hat and removed it, "I've been living here for 500 years, there's no path I don't know." Kanda stared at the exposed face of the doll named Guzol. Warts covered his entire face; a large ugly birth mark sat at the top right side of his forehead. His left cheek was swollen to the point where he cannot open his left eye and his dry, ancient skin stretched over his bones.

Kanda was mildly shocked.

"Hehe, ugly, huh?" Guzol said. He lifted his arm to put his hat back on.

"You are the doll? It's amazing you can talk," Kanda raised an eyebrow.

Desdemona was getting more and more puzzled by the second.

Guzol looked back to the male exorcist, "You guys came here to take my heart, right?"

Suddenly, it all made sense. Desdemona finally understood Guzol's intentions. She lowered her eyes and looked at the ground, evaluating her options.

"If it's possible, I want it now," Kanda demanded, "We don't need the trouble of carrying a big doll with us."

The blond girl detached herself from Guzol and stood in front of the doll protectively, "Gu…Guzol's the only one that knows the underground path! Without him, we'll just get lost!"

Kanda looked at the girl skeptically, "And who are _you_?"

"I'm-"

"She was just an adopted kid!" Guzol interrupted.

Desdemona stood up and looked down at the two huddled figures, "Keep it for now, your heart. We will need to take it when it ends." Kanda's initial reaction was to object, but after further thought, he decided to go along.

"Sir Kanda," a voice, Toma's voice, came from behind a building. Kanda turned to see the finder walking towards them.

Desdemona walked in front of the two that still sat on the floor, she knelt down to face them. "Sorry for dragging you into this," she whispered.

"You are…" the blond girl began. Desdemona smiled.

"This is Timcampy," the finder's voice came from behind Desdemona; she turned her head to see Kanda and Toma gathering around something that Toma held in his hands. Desdemona stood up and joined the two.

A small pile of golden coloured debris lay in the finder's hands. As Desdemona approached, the pieces started to float and began reconstructing itself. It soon became Timcampy.

"Tim, show me the information on the akuma," Kanda said. Timcampy flew away from Toma's hands. It opened its mouth, and a small projection appeared before them. Several different images of the akuma were projected. Desdemona squeezed herself between Kanda and Toma to see the projections more clearly.

"It's like a mirror…" Kanda muttered.

"What?" Toma asked.

"It's backwards," Desdemona observed. "This fake had no insides, it was only a 3D doll,"

"Damn bean sprout, letting the akuma copy his arm!" Kanda exclaimed.

The blond girl came up behind Desdemona and tugged at her uniform. Desdemona turned and as soon as she did, Kanda and Toma gathered closer to the golem and successfully re-occupied the space where Desdemona stood before.

Th female exorcist saw the child leading the doll by its hand and pointed towards her right. Desdemona followed her finger and saw a flight of stairs down into an underground cellar.

"We should have searched for Sir Walker," Toma suggested to Kanda, they were both too busy studying the images projected by Timcampy to notice the movements behind, "We can't even tell if Sir Walker is real, even if he is alive."

Desdemona understood the girl. She didn't like owing people. She looked back to Kanda, who was scowling at thin air, probably annoyed at the newbie's incompetence, and nodded to the young girl. A large smile spread across the girl's face and they started quietly down the stairs.

"No. We can tell, because the akuma would be the opposite of him." Kanda replied. He turned to check on the two 'captives'. His eyes widened when he didn't see any of them. He looked around everywhere but still couldn't spot the two. What was even more mystifying was that Desdemona was also nowhere to be seen.

Realization hit him, "They…THEY RAN AWAY!" Kanda's lips curled into another scowl. "Damn! Where could they be…and where the hell is Dem? Did they run away and Dem went after them? Yeah, that's probably it. So it's ok…Dem is with them…Wait, no, I can't trust her..." he muttered.

"Sir Kanda, behind you…" Toma suddenly whispered with a very cautious tone.

Kanda turned around.

Standing there, in front of them, was Allen Walker.

An Allen Walker with the scar on his right eye.

* * *

Desdemona lashed out her whip, it wrapped around a pillar protruding out from the wall, breaking her fall.

They had walked into the entrance to the underground cavity, only the floor was too old and gave out, creating a not-so-nice shortcut for the three.

The blond girl extended her slim right arm and grabbed Guzol, her left hand clawed at the wall. The friction slowed their drop, but crushing her hand.

Activating her innocence, the whip extended and lowered Desdemona onto the ground.

The other two landed less gently. Guzol landed first, his fragile body weakened by the heavy impact. The girl fell next to the old doll, who was coughing violently. The tall hat had fallen from the girl's head, her long silky hair flowed around her small body. She cradled her left arm. A wooden 'helmet' was on her head, different sized antenna-like bits stuck out from the top.

"Are you all right, Guzol?" she asked gently.

The doll nodded, "Lala! Your hand!"

Lala shook her head, "It's fine. As long as Guzol is safe..."

The old man tried to sit up, but when he did, he started coughing again. His hand flew up to cover his mouth but the trickles of blood still leaked out from between his fingers.

"He…doesn't have much time left, does he?" Desdemona asked gently.

Lala wrapped her arms around the dying man. "There isn't." she said quietly.

"He lied to keep you safe, you ran away to keep him safe, then why did you bring me? What if I was to take your heart now? I'm with the Order for this mission," Desdemona said. "And you too," she said to the old man, "You knew perfectly well that I know you're not the doll, yet you lie in front of me to Kanda. Why?"

"Why? You ask…" Lala replied, "Is there any other option?" she gave a sad smile.

Desdemona sighed. She sat down on the floor next to the two. After a few silent moments, she laughed lightly, "Gramps and Lala haven't changed at all."

"No, I have become old." Guzol managed to say between coughs.

"You've grown a lot," Lala observed.

"Hm…" Desdemona answered absent-mindedly.

Guzol opened his mouth and tried to speak, more rounds of violent coughing prevented him from doing so. Lala stroked his back with one hand. The coughs soon turned into violent hacks. The sound of liquid gurgled at his throat. Guzol leant forward as a gush of blood came from his throat, it spilled onto the cold marble floor.

Finally, the coughing stopped. Guzol was left gasping for air. Lala embraced the man tightly. She had been watching him suffer like this for a long time and it pains her just as much.

Desdemona sighed lightly. The Order knew most of her past, it was inevitable. They do it to make sure there are no spies amongst the Order. Luckily, the Order only knew this much. Even this information was only obtained when the finders tried to investigate this place. She had obviously been assigned this mission on purpose. As soon as she saw the brief, she knew that Komui's 'You-Can-Be-Replaced' speech was just to provoke her. There was no turning back now, because this mission concerned these two. And these two saved her life. Given the situation, she can do nothing for them other than granting them their last wish. But as long as the Innocence is not extracted, they will always be in danger.

"Guzol, what can I do for you?" Lala asked the dying man.

"Sing…sing for me," Guzol forced a smile. Lala nodded, she pressed her hands to her chest and lifted up her head. Lala opened her mouth and her beautiful voice echoed through the large open space. The doll's lullaby flowed out note by note, word by word.

Desdemona listened to the familiar tune. She had heard it many times before.

Six years ago, Desdemona left the place she had once called home. The inexperienced girl travelled by herself and mistakenly wondered into Martel. She travelled for days in the rocky plains around the town where there was no food or water. From far away, the silhouette of a town seemed promising, but as she came closer and closer, it became more and more hopeless. She wandered through the alleyways of the abandoned town, in search of water and food, but her body gave out.

Lala and Guzol were the ones who found her and saved her. Desdemona stayed with them for a month. The two were unwelcoming and unfriendly at first, they weren't used to having other people around. Eventually, they started to familiarize. Lala sang all day, every day. It was her purpose for living, she said. She sang the same tune every time, Guzol would always listen to her whole-heartedly.

Even though Desdemona wouldn't mind living with them forever, but in the back of her head, something willed her on, as if telling her to fullfill a purpose. She had thought it was revenge she was seeking, that was one of the reasons she went back to London. Her existence alone at the time, and now, was solely based on a groundless belief that _they_ loved her. _They_ loved her and therefore would want her to live on. Only for that reason, just that reason. Maybe, it was just a cowardly excuse to greedily continue living.

Even in this situation, she can't do anything other than waiting patiently for Guzol to die.

What sort of payback is that?

Phrase after phrase, the tune repeated itself many times. Whenever the song ends Lala would just start all over again. The terribly beautiful melody, mixed with Lala's own sadness.

The tune was so captivating that Desdemona's hearing - which tried to pick up any sounds that indicated danger - was tuning out. She tried hard to hear something, anything. She feared she would miss something. But the melody was so beautiful, Lala's voice was so beautiful, and everything about the way she sang it made the exorcist want to curl up somewhere warm and safe, be oblivious to everything.

_Step_

_Step_

_Step_

Footsteps. Desdemona became alarmed. She heard footsteps, uneven footsteps. And…metal scraping against the floor.

_Akuma?_ Desdemona stood up, Lala stopped singing. Once the melody stopped the footsteps were much more audible. From the sound, it might possibly be boots, boots of the Order, but none can ever be sure. The exorcist gripped the handle of her whip.

The footsteps grew louder, and louder, and still louder as it came closer and closer.

Desdemona's grip tightened. Lala stood in front of Guzol protectively.

A silver silhouette appeared in the dark pathway leading to the large hall. It was a small figure, carrying two larger ones. Desdemona soon realized who they were.

Allen stepped into the light. He had been following the song. He was never good with directions. When it stopped, he lost his way. Then, he saw the light at the end of the hallway and walked towards it. It was hard enough walking around with Kanda on his shoulder and Toma leaning against his other, but his own injuries made it even more difficult.

Desdemona relaxed, she released the grip on her whip. Kanda seemed to have outdone himself this time. The new kid was pretty impressive, and such a persistent person too.

Allen's first saw the female exorcist but then his eyes strayed to the small blond girl. Her unnatural wooden features implied that she was the doll. She sang too. It was certain that she was the 'Ghost of Martel'.

Desdemona noticed Lala's stiff posture, "It's okay, he's wi-"

Without warning, the doll dug her fingers into a fallen stone pillar beside her, yanking it free with all her might. She lifted it with both arms above her head and threw it at a shocked Allen. Allen dodged just in time while putting Toma and Kanda down in a safe corner. "Wait a minute! Calm down, let's talk!"

Lala yanked free another pillar. Desdemona stood there, first shocked but then, she put her face into her palm in exasperation. Lala won't listen, she won't listen at all.

Allen realized that the doll wasn't in a 'let us talk' mood. He had to stop her from throwing pillars at him. Allen removed his left glove with his teeth and activated his Innocence. His red arm transformed into the silver parasitic anti-akuma weapon. Lala pushed on the stone pillar, it left her hands to sail towards Allen.

Allen ducked as the pillar sailed over his head. His left arm flew up behind him and his hooked nails grabbed onto the end of the flying pillar. Desdemona was impressed. He's not bad for a rookie. General Cross was rumored to be very harsh when training his apprentice.

Desdemona's admiration was soon replaced by horror as she watched the newbie throwing the pillar back at Lala. The doll cringed as the pillar came for her, but the pillar spun right past, above Lala's head, it travelled in an arc, destroying all the remaining pillars, shattering them to pieces. Desdemona and Lala watched in awe as every single one of the pillars fell and shattered.

There were no pillars left, meaning nothing left for Lala to throw.

Desdemona was_ really_ impressed this time, maybe General Cross wasn't as bad as Master had said he was: drunkard, huge debtor, stupid and a womanizer. An apprentice should be like his master. According her observations of Allen Walker, she concluded that General Cross should be at least respectable, if not likeable.

Lala collapsed onto the floor and looked up at the white-haired boy. Allen was holding the pillar that he threw – which miraculously spun back to him – with ease. He scratched the back of his head, "Please tell me what is going on. I don't want to fight such a cute girl," Allen smiled gently.

"That was impressive," Desdemona commented.

"Um…thank you?" Allen replied uncertainly.

"Can I just ask…" Desdemona began, she knelt down to examine the ruins of the pillars. "If you destroy the pillars, wouldn't the roof fall down?" Allen digested the girl's words and froze. Desdemona watched the boy's reaction and sighed. He's not respectable…he's stupid.

"Guzol," Desdemona nodded towards the old man, "and Lala," she gestured to the doll. Allen lowered the pillar and nodded.

"Guzol is going to die soon!" Lala distressed, "Until then, please don't separate me from him! I will give you my heart!" she pleaded.

Before Allen could answer, Desdemonawent to Lala and gently pulled on her undamaged arm. "Get up, Lala. We won't separate you two." Reassured, Lala slowly stood up. Guzol started coughing again so she rushed to his side. Desdemona met Allen's eyes, they showed a mixture of disbelief, confusion and worry.

Desdemona knew that Kanda would be the first to object, but in his condition, she needn't worry. If by any chance he should wake up and interfere with her decision she could just easily strangle him back into unconsciousness. She's got to be careful not to kill him though. Actually no, it wouldn't be a problem even if she did kill him. He doesn't die even if he's killed, tight she doesn't really understand how that works.

Desdemona smiled evilly as she thought over all the ways to torture Kanda. Allen saw the smile and suddenly felt very cold, he shivered. Suddenly, Desdemona stopped smiling as if she just remembered she had something to do. She went over to Toma and Kanda lying in the corner and helped them into more comfortable positions.

The girl looked over their wounds. The cut across Kanda's chest doesn't look good, but he'll live. Toma had less serious injuries. As much as she wanted to kill Kanda, she still had to stop his bleeding. She removed the tattered uniform draped over his shoulders and ripped it into strips. He had bandages on his chest but they were cut into pieces.

Allen came to help, he took off his own uniform and folded it into a small square. He lifted Kanda's head and placed the uniform below him. At the same time, Desdemona finished wrapping the bandages and looked up to see Allen lowering Mugen next to Kanda. Since Allen took off his uniform, the bloodstains on his white shirt were clearly visible. He lifted his head and caught Desdemona staring at his chest. She met his gaze and gestured to his bloodstains. He simply waved his right hand dismissively with a small smile.

As the two exorcists finished tending the injured, they went to sit opposite of Lala and Guzol.

"So please, tell me what's going on?" Allen asked.

Lala curled herself up against Guzol and started her touching tale. Right from when she met Guzol, they had been together for 80 years. He was the first and only one to accept her as a doll.

To Desdemona's relief, Lala didn't mention anything about Desdemona's own experience in this town. However, Desdemona's constant eye contact may have something to do with the omission of that part of the story.

"Guzol," Lala's young 500 year voice continued, "will stop moving soon. Let me be with him until the end. I promise I will give you my heart!" she sat up from against Guzol's chest, her large blue eyes pleading Allen.

Allen considered, but before he could reach an answer, a voice sharply turned down the request.

"No!" Kanda sat up slowly. Desdemona's heart dropped, she knew what was coming. "Wait until this old man dies? We can't grant this wish!"

He always had to be so harsh. But then again, if Desdemona hadn't owed the two her life, she would've made the same choice. In fact, she was pretty sure that anyone unrelated would have made that decision, Allen included. Desdemona debated in her head whether or not she should start strangling Kanda already; maybe knock Allen out on the way…

Allen stood up and faced Kanda.

"Take that doll's heart NOW!" Kanda demanded.

She observed Allen, he seemed to hesitate.

"What did we come here for?" Kanda questioned.

Desdemona waited for Allen's answer.

"I…I can't do it," Allen stated quietly, "Sorry, I just can't do it."

Desdemona raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Kanda stared at Allen in disbelief and frustration. Kanda looked down and saw Allen's uniform folded neatly on the floor. He grabbed the cloak and threw it at Allen in fury. "This coat isn't a pillow for the wounded! It's the uniform of an exorcist!" Scowling, Kanda threw what was left of his own uniform over his shoulder.

"Ungrateful bastard…" Desdemona muttered under her breath.

"What did you just say?" Kanda threathened.

Desdemona glared at Kanda. After a while, she rolled her eyes and looked away. Kanda gritted his teeth and a vein popped out at his temple. He retrieved Mugen and stood up unsteadily. He walked past the two other exorcists and advanced towards Lala and Guzol.

Lala watched in horror as the tall man pointed his sword at her. His glare was terrifying.

A hand reached out and pushed on the back of the blade of the sword. It slowly guided the tip of the weapon away from the doll and the old man. Kanda stared down at the girl, "Dem," he said threateningly.

The girl just simply shrugged.

"There are sacrifices that must be made!"

"Then I will be the one!" Allen's voice came from behind Kanda. The boy put his coat back on and positioned himself between Mugen and Lala. Kanda glared at Allen. Allen continued, "Will it be enough if I am the sacrifice for these two? Until then, I cannot remove the Innocence from this doll! If I destroy the akuma, then it wouldn't a problem, would it? Making sacrifices all the time in order to win the war, it's futile!" he exclaimed.

Kanda's right hand balled into a tight fist, his accumulating anger reached its limits. His right arm struck out, punching the unsuspecting Allen straight in the face. Allen stumbled backwards and fell onto the marble floor.

Kanda fell to the floor on his knee. He was weakened by his wound. After steadying himself, he lifted his head and glared at Allen, "How incredibly naïve…selling yourself out for some pitiful strangers?" Kanda panted, both the pain and his anger were making him breathless. "ISN'T ANYTHING IMPORTANT TO YOU?"

"Idiots, wasting their own energy." Desdemona sighed. These two are helpless. She was surprised. What Allen was doing for Guzol and Lala is far more than what she herself had planned to do. He is fulfilling their wish _for _them rather than _allowing_ them to fulfill their wish. Allen Walker, who was complete strangers with Guzol and Lala, was able and willing to do much more for them than herself, who owed the two her life. He is something, if not just simply stupid.

"There was once something important…" Allen began, answering Kanda's question. "I lost it long ago. It's pitiful, I don't have a noble reason. I just don't want to see something like this happen. That's all. Because I am a small man, my heart is moved by what is in front of my eyes, not by what the world needs. I can't just abandon what is there in front of me. I want to protect everything I can!"

_Shing-_

_Rip_

_Crack_

A quick sharp gust of air whipped pasted Desdemona. Followed by the sound of ripped clothing and broken wood. Something shimmered at the corner of her eye. A silver hooked nail. She quickly turned around, only to see the akuma's copied right arm piercing through Guzol and Lala.

Kanda and Allen stopped their argument; they turned to the direction of the sound. They watched in horror and dismay as the dying man and the doll were snatched away from them. Allen leaped forwards, extending his right arm, wanting to grab onto the two and drag them back. He was too slow.

Guzol's hat flew away as the akuma pulled them into a pile of sand that appeared from nowhere.

Kanda looked around, the sand seemed to be increasing in quantity. It surrounded the exorcists from all sides. There was so much sand that the original marble floor wasn't visible anymore.

Behind the exorcists, some sand shifted and lifted up off the ground. It rose to a particular height and started to take on shape. The movement alarmed the exorcists and they all spun around.

The sand slowly took on the shape of the akuma. Two dark figures were spat out. A lifeless Lala hung from the akuma's grip, her limp limbs flailed around wildly. Guzol was in the akuma's right hand, the metal nail copied from Allen pierced the old man's chest. Hooked onto the tip of the center nail, was a small container that was glowing green.

"I got the INNOCENCE!" the Level 2 laughed, it threw its head back and shook uncontrollably.

As the sight registered itself in Desdemona's mind, she finally made the connection. The akuma had the Innocence, the Innocence that was in Lala. It ripped out Lala's heart. Her right hand balled into a fist around Thora's handle.

The Level 2 akuma released its grip on the two limp figures and disposed them onto the rough sand. The weakened Guzol reach out his hand towards the lifeless doll, "Lala…Lala…"

Desdemona tightened her jaw and yanked at the handle, Thora came free and cracked in the air. This time, it didn't glow green, instead it glowed electric blue. Small electricity sparks crackled along the leather. She braced herself, leaned forward and was about to charge at the akuma when-

_Stop._

Desdemona stopped, frozen in her tracks. A bone-chilling gust of air rushed past her, it carried a fearsome aura of murderous rage. She slowly looked back to Allen. Her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.

Allen had also activated his Innocence, but his arm did not take on its usual shape. Instead, his red flesh shifted and twisted, it was taking on another form. Several spikes sprouted out at his shoulder, where the influence of the Innocence on his body ends. His cursed eye activated, tinting the white part of his eye black and the pupil red. "Return it, return the Innocence," his voice, his tone. Even though he said it rather calmly, everything about it screamed rage and anger.

The arm gradually changed and formed itself. However, before the weapon could take on its shape, Allen leaped and charged at the akuma. Everyone, including the akuma, stared shocked as Allen's arm transformed into a cannon, aimed at the akuma. A blinding light shone from within the cannon and solid beams of light shot out. The beams buried themselves deep into the body of the akuma. As Allen continued to shoot, the beams piled up on one another, creating a tower. Allen landed on it as he fell down.

A trail of moving sand shifted around with high speed. "You can't hit me when I shift into sand!" the akuma exclaimed proudly.

Allen aimed his weapon at the moving sand, his face was devoid of any expression, which made it even more fearsome.

A trident shot out from within the sand and charged at Allen. He dodged, but another lot of sand launched at him. This time, it was in the shape of the akuma's head. The sand enveloped Allen as it separated with the rest. It took on the full shape of the akuma with a very large belly.

"Hmm…how many times do I have to stab you before you die?" the akuma wondered out loud. It lifted up its right arm and stabbed at its stomach.

Once

Twice

"Sir Walker!" Toma's voice woke Desdemona from her trance. "He's fine." Kanda said.

Indeed, the fearsome aura was still there. But who knows for how long. Desdemona watched as the akuma continuously stabbed at its belly. That right arm looked pretty solid...

Desdemona thrust out her whip, it extended and wrapped itself on the akuma's right wrist. The leather tensed as she pulled on the handle, temporarily restraining the akuma from stabbing its oversized belly. If Allen wasn't in there, she would've thrown the akuma into the wall.

Just then, its belly seemed to increase in size. Double. Triple. It grew larger and larger very quickly. The sand belly bursted as it stretched to its limits. Light shone from within the sand and soon the solid beams of light was exposed, along with the white haired exorcist.

So Allen fired from within.

The young exorcist fired again, the force drove him out of the sand. Now that Allen was out, Desdemona yanked on the whip and the akuma smashed into the wall. The cracks caused by the impact crawled in all directions. Small pieces of debris flew out. She frowned. This cavity must be very weak right now, thanks to _someone_ who destroyed all the supporting pillars. They have to finish this quick. She looked over to Allen to check if he was still alive.

Allen held up his left arm. A single beam of light slowly came out from the cannon and the opening of the cannon twisted and narrowed around it, forming a sword. He jumped and slashed at the akuma. The akuma split in half. Its outer skin peeled off, revealing his true form underneath.

"So this is your true form," said Allen as his arm transformed back into cannon form, "I'm not giving you a chance to change your appearance again."

The akuma panicked. He tried to move his right arm and use it against its true owner, but found it still restrained by a whip. The akuma followed the whip with its eyes and a young female exorcist came into vision.

Desdemona gritted her teeth as the akuma looked at her. She had been using all her strength to keep the arm immobilized. The akuma was very strong. If it ever decides to get rid of her by yanking its arm, even her weighed boots wouldn't be able to keep her on the ground.

And she was right.

The akuma thrusted its right arm with all its might, the force yanked the whip which in turn threw Desdemona into the opposite wall, the concrete shattered under the impact and fell down around the girl. Thora unwrapped from the akuma's wrist and shrank down to its original length.

"Che." "Desdemona!" said the two males in unison. The girl stood up quickly but shakily from the shattered cement, she tugged on the handle and the rest of the whip returned to her.

After seeing the girl was fine, Allen looked back at the akuma and aimed the cannon at it, bright light gathered inside his arm, "This is for you."

The akuma held his right arm forward, believing that the exorcist's own arm would be enough to block his attack. Allen fired, the copied right arm of the akuma blocked the attacks from hitting his true body, but only temporarily. The hard silver started to deteriorate, if it goes on any longer, the akuma is doomed to loose.

"Why…even though I used his hand…WHY DO I LOSE…!" The akuma screamed.

Desdemona watched the battle from the other side of the room. Stamina was her greatest weakness. This battle had been going on for a bit too long. Just a while longer, it looked like if Allen could keep it up for a little while longer it would be finished.

Allen continued to fire. Suddenly, liquid came rushing up from his throat. He coughed up a large amount of blood. The anti-akuma weapon rebounded, transforming back to the red left arm. Allen collapsed onto the floor, a sharp pain shot up from his arm. Seems like, his body couldn't keep up with the new weapon.

"Gotcha!" the akuma, relieved from the pressure of the exorcist's cannon, lunged out with its half-deteriorated right arm, aiming for Allen.

Desdemona tried to thrust out Thora again but was stopped by the sharp pain that shot up from her right shoulder. _Dislocated a shoulder…_

_Ping!_ The silver arm came in contact with a sword. Kanda held out Mugen with one hand, blocking the akuma's right arm.

"Kanda!" Allen said in disbelief. If anyone was to block an attack for him, Kanda would be the last person in mind.

"Che." Kanda gritted his teeth as blood started to soak through the bandages at his chest, he re-opened his wound. 'YOU USELESS IDIOT! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, RUNNING OUT OF POWER AT THE LAST MINUTE! YOU WERE THE BASTARD THAT BABBLED ON ABOUT PROTECTING THOSE TWO!' Kanda yelled at the top of his lungs. "I hate the way naïve people like you think…and even more so, I HATE people who don't keep their promises!"

Allen laughed weakly at Kanda's words, "Which ever it is…you still hate me. It's not that I've run out of power. I'm just taking a little break." Allen wiped the blood away from the corner of his mouth with the back of his left hand and stood up shakily.

"Che. Everything you do is irritating." Kanda focused back on the akuma.

Desdemona walked up from behind the akuma. _Right is my dominant side, but I can live with using left for a while.._. "You two talk too much," she commented. The akuma turned its head around to spot the girl behind him. Kanda "che"-ed and Allen smiled.

Kanda twisted Mugen, it sliced through the akuma's right wrist, amputating the hand. The akuma snapped his head back in surprise. Desdemona lashed out Thora with her left hand, the whip extended and caught onto the akuma's neck. The akuma tried to struggle out of it but failed.

Allen stood up, his left arm held above his head as it transformed into the cannon. Desdemona thrust the whip upwards, throwing the akuma into mid-air, forcing it to do some sumersaults, keeping it occupied. Allen aimed his cannon and Kanda braced his sword.

"Innocence, Activate!" the two male exorcists striked, Allen shot from his arm and Kanda slashed with Mugen. Desdemona fully retracted Thora from around the akuma's neck just in time so that the attacks don't damage the leather. The thousands of light beams together with the red-eyed insects penetrated the akuma over and over again. The akuma screeched as it turned to dust.

The combined attack caused a large explosion. A sphere of light expanded and destroyed everything it touched. The power seemed unstoppable.

Finally, the light faded, leaving a large hole on the side of the hill Martel was built on.

A small glowing container fell from the sky. The Innocence fell into the gaping hole, down underground, into the chamber. Down, landing on the yellow sand. Landing in between three collapsed exorcists.

Shakily, Desdemona stood up, holding her left hand to her right shoulder. It was the second time she got thrown across the room. She briefly noted to avenge herself on the two male exorcists. She looked up to the night sky through the huge hole caused by the explosion. There were stars tonight.

She heard something move. Desdemona turned to see Allen struggling to reach the Innocence that was Lala's heart. As he finally came close enough, he laid a hand upon the glowing glass container.

"Once more, to Lala…one more time…" he whispered.

* * *

Desdemona, Toma and Kanda went to a nearby hospital, Allen was left to guard the Innocence. Desdemona got her shoulder fixed, even though it only took a few seconds, Desdemona swear it was the most painful seconds of her life. The doctors said that Kanda's wounds would take at least 5 months to heal. Toma stayed at the hospital while Desdemona headed back to Martel.

Allen had moved Guzol and Lala from the underground chamber to a church standing at the top of the hill, overlooking the entire city. He had already restored Lala's heart when Desdemona came back. She found Allen with head buried in his arms, sitting at the top of the flight. She heard Lala sing but wondered why was Allen like that. He looked like he didn't want talk so Desdemona went in to see for herself. That was when she realized Lala wasn't Lala anymore. Its eyes are blank, showing no emotion, no memory. Just a moving, singing, wooden contraption. Its lullaby echoed in the church, even her voice, her song, had lost its emotions.

Desdemona came out and sat on the stone steps. Timcampy, who was resting on Allen's shoulder, fluttered to Desdemona and landed on her shoulder. It drooped its wings sadly and pointed. The girl followed Timcampy's finger and saw Allen, he hadn't moved…

"Hey, don't cry." Desdemona said blankly.

"I'm not crying." came Allen's steady voice.

"You should stop it," Desdemona suggested.

"…" Timcampy fluttered back to its Master.

The girl sighed. Letting this continue, what's the point of it?

The doll sang, day and night. Allen hardly moved, he never left that top step. Desdemona visited the nearby town to get food. Allen devoured most of them.

It was already the third afternoon. There was a small, gentle breeze today and it seemed to carry Lala's notes on and away.

Kanda came with Toma tailing behind. Allen had his head buried in his arms. Desdemona was gnawing on a bar of chocolate. "Bean Sprout! Don't sleep! Stay on guard! Dem, stop eating!" Kanda commanded. Desdemona chose to ignore the obnoxious man, which earned her a glare.

"What is someone who needed 5 months to heal doing here?" Allen muttered.

"I'm healed." Kanda sat down on the steps too.

"Impossible…" Allen said.

"Shut up." Kanda frowned. "I got a message from Komui. I'm going ahead with my next mission. You two deliver the Innocence back to Headquarters."

"Understood," Allen replied, cheerlessly.

'Hm." Desdemona said.

Kanda sighed. He turned back slightly to look at Allen, who still hid his face from view. "If it's so hard to bear, then stop the doll. It isn't Lala anymore."

"…"

Desdemona turned slightly to look at Allen, waiting for his answer.

"It's their promise," Allen justified, "the only one who can break Lala is Guzol."

"Naïve," Kanda stated, the word seemed to be overused by the Japanese ever since Allen's arrival. "We are destroyers, not saviors."

Allen lifted his head up and smiled sadly, "I know that. But I-"

A strong harsh gust of wind cut Allen off his sentence. It disrupted the calm rhythm of the rustling leaves. Timcampy was blown off Allen's head. The wind turned cold. But all these little details went unnoticed to the three exorcists.

Lala stopped singing.

The song stopped so abruptly without finishing.

Allen stiffened; he stood up and rushed into the church. Kanda followed with Toma close behind. The white haired exorcist stepped into the grim church. The only lightsource was a beam of setting sunlight coming in from the hole in the roof. Under the light, sat Guzol and Lala. The dead man's head rested on the doll's wooden lap. Silky golden hair flowed around the doll's small form. Her head was tilted heavenwards and her mouth opened, as if she was still singing.

Allen stepped closer and knelt down beside the doll.

_Thank you…_

Allen stared wide eyed at the doll's face. Under the light, it looked like she was smiling.

_For letting me sing until I break. The promise has been fulfilled._

The doll lost its support and tilted to the side, Allen caught it in his arms. He looked down at the lifeless doll, two streaks of blood ran down its cheeks, Guzol's blood. They looked like tears.

Allen's own tears trickled down his face and dripped from his chin. He lifted his right arm and wiped his ears with his sleeve.

_I already said, don't cry. _Desdemona didn't bother entering. She knew what was there. What's the point of standing there and look at two decaying corpses? It would be much better if her last memories of the two were a beautiful doll with silky synthetic hair and an old man with a bad sense of humor. Until the end, she wasn't able to pay her debt. Their last wish was fulfilled by Allen. She didn't even need to come. Allen was capable of doing much more than her. She tried to hold back the moisture welling up in her eyes but a small drop escaped and rolled down her cheek. _Stupid, I said don't cry…_

The harsh wind passed, the gentle breeze returned. The breeze carried Lala's song, sounded like she was still singing.

"Kanda," Allen said weakly, he continued to wipe the falling tears with the sleeve of his uniform. "I want to become a destroyer who can save."

* * *

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When I went over and edited this. I put like three chapters into one. So it's a bit long…

Edit: this chapter is redone like 4 times, it's a bit different now.

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	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.

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This chapter is meant to be humorous. It you don't find it funny, it's not that you're retarded. It's because my sense of humor suck. DX

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* * *

Allen wiped the foggy window with his sleeve and looked outside. Snowflakes were falling from the sky, swaying to and fro in the wind. It piled up on the ground and formed a fluffy white carpet that looked fun to play on. Deceiving. The gently falling snow seemed so harmless and playful, but its true evil nature was exposed when large amounts of it gather together on train tracks.

The train has been delayed by an avalanche, causing the impatience and complaints of many passengers.

Allen sighed and turned away from the window, it seemed like they won't be arriving at Headquarters anytime soon. He glanced at the female exorcist sitting opposite him. She sat there with her legs crossed, left arm folded across her chest and in the right had she held a strip of liquorice that she was chewing.

Allen was tempted to think that this girl doesn't eat anything else. Ever since he met her, he had never seen her eat a proper meal. Judging by her snacks of choice: coffee, liquorice, and dark chocolate, one will only have two conclusions. One, is that she is trying to keep awake, which Allen was having trouble doing. And two, she is extremely obsessed with bittersweet snacks.

In the current situation, both conclusions seemed reasonable. It was hard trying to stay up that late. Even if they are exorcists, they are still human. Desdemona was much more used to it than Allen. After being with the Order for two years, she had learned to compromise and overpower her body clock. Allen, on the other hand, wasn't used to it at all. Sure, Cross' trainings were harsh, but the General always made sure his apprentice had enough sleep.

Allen yawned for the hundredth time. His jaws opened up so wide that Desdemona was sure he could fit two fists in there. Tiny speckles of tear seeped out from the corner of his eyes; some clung to his silver-white eyelashes. He rubbed his sleepy eyes with the back of his left hand.

The girl's stare unintentionally turned into a glare, his actions were seriously irritating. This newbie definitely needs to get accustomed to the disorderly lifestyle of the exorcists. Daily necessities must be sacrificed to complete missions and orders; it is necessary if you want to stay alive. With hundreds of akumas chasing after you each day, one little mistake will get you killed. She was irritated by him showing such weakness. Exorcists can't give an impression of being weak! They are supposed to be saving the world here, if they become weak then what will come of this planet! Well, that was what the higher-ups always 'preach' to the exorcists. Truthfully, she doesn't care.

What was it about his behavior that irritated her so much? Maybe she was just too tired and found everything irritating, or maybe it was the constant yawning setting her on edge. She looked back at Allen, who continued rubbing his left eye, only his right eye was visible. Him doing that…it made him look seriously weak, weak and…vulnerable? No, that's not it. The little specks of tear stuck to his eyelashes sparkled under the light of the cabin as he blinked, emphasising his fluttering white lashes. The image: sleepy eyes, small tears and a slight pout, made him look very…cute…

CUTE? Exorcists aren't supposed to look cute! What is this? What IS this? This newbie's skills seemed impressive enough, but he still needs to be taught how to behave like a exorcist! General Cross did a great job in teaching this kid how to fight like an exorcist but he completely failed at making him act like one! Or maybe the General never even tried! Seriously, exorcists should give an impression of strength and reliability, as her Master said, not CUTE!

On the inside, Desdemona was snapping and facepalm-ing, but on the outside, she simply shifted in her seat out of irritation. Her teeth grounded the liquorice in her mouth. "If you're tired then sleep, the train's not going to arrive any time soon," she suggested, a bit too harsh.

"No, it's ok. Thank you for your concern," Allen replied, he had stopped rubbing his eye, much to Desdemona's relief. She narrowed her eyes, one could have easily and naturally meant that sarcastically, considering her harsh tone. She replayed the white haired boy's sentence in her mind and detected no hint of sarcasm. He really meant it? Unlikely.

"Um…" Allen began, "Er…Desdemona?"

"As I said, feel free to shorten the name anyway you like. I don't like people calling me by my full given name," even when she was irritated as ever, she softened her tone.

Allen stared, confused. Normally people get offended if they are called by nicknames, and it is always respectful to address people by their full names. Only this particular girl does not like being called by her full name, strange. Allen wondered why.

Desdemona removed her eyes from the window and glanced at the boy as the silence on his part stretched on. She raised an eyebrow at his pose. His left arm was folded across his chest, supporting his right elbow. His chin was placed in between his right index and thumb. The pair of silver eyes stared intently at her.

Upon meeting the girl's penetrating gaze, Allen was jerked awake from his mental trance. That was when he realized his position that he shifted into absent-mindedly, universal body language for 'I'm trying to figure something out about you.' The white haired boy flailed his arms around aimlessly in panic as he tried to look carefree and casual. He was also making weird noises (that sounded something like: "A…er…ooo..uh…") as he tried to speak but no words formed. The attempts to justify his previous action made him look like a monkey instead.

"Pfft," Desdemona averted her eyes back to the window and rolled her eyes. A small smile played on her lips, it was amusing.

The boy finally settled down, he leaned back into the couch and coughed into a hand, a further attempt at disguising his awkward noises. "Ahem. Er…so…how would you prefer to be addressed?"

"Anything is fine," Desdemona watched the snowflakes dancing in the wind.

"Kanda calls you 'Dem', right?"

"You don't have to call me that." she said casually. "Lenalee, Kanda and most people who work long hours at the Headquarters call me 'Dem'. Some finders call me 'the little Demon'. A few of the Science Department call me 'Darmstadium', they say my name reminds them of the symbol for that element on the periodic table," she shrugged. "There were much more bizarre ones too. Like 'Emma', DeeDee' and even 'Daisy'. I have no idea how they came up with those." Desdemona popped the last bit of her liquorice into her mouth. "Maybe they are either deaf, mentally inept or have short-term memory loss."

Allen thought about it. Hm, Desdemona…DES-DE-MON-A…Hmmm…. "May I call you…" a word popped into his head, "Mony?"

As the word left his mouth, the girl visibly tensed. She slowly turned her head to face a now slightly panicky Allen. Her eyes were first wide with shock, then frowned in skepticism and finally narrowed in suspicion. Allen shifted nervously in his seat, did he say something wrong? He repeated the word in his head. _Mony, Mony…_ Ah! Is it because by calling her that he was suggesting they know each other well when they have only met 3 days ago? Was it too much of an endearment? Was she offended by that?

The nervous boy bit his lower lip. He seemed to have offended the girl sitting opposite him, which wasn't good. Considering her superiority complex, impatience and the fact that she swore to kill the one living in the room next to hers (aka. Allen), she was not one he would want to offend.

"Why?" the girl's quiet but clear voice questioned.

"Huh?" Allen snapped out of his mini nervous breakdown and snapped his eyes back to the subject of his presumed offense.

"Why...How did you come up with that?" noticing his nervousness, Desdemona switched back to the casual tone with a hint of amusement.

Her tone did help Allen relax a bit. Maybe she wasn't offended? "I…don't know. I just said the first thing that came to mind," Allen confessed. He observed carefully, her usual penetrating gaze was not as intimidating at the moment, they seemed distant. "If you don't like it then I won't call you that," he added quickly.

Desdemona refocused on Allen, then gave a little smile, "No, that's not it. Just…it's just that no one had called me that for a long time."

"Oh," he replied, unsure of how to react to that. "Um…" he continued, "Would you prefer it if I just call you Dem?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she waved her hand dismissively and resumed her snow watching.

* * *

For the rest of the ride back to Headquarters, both 15 year-olds stayed silent. As the silence stretched on, Allen found it harder and harder to stay awake. The sleepiness got worse when they entered the canal under Headquarters on a small boat Toma was rowing. The gentle rocking and swaying of the boat did not help Allen's sleepiness.

The boat finally stopped at the small dock, it bumped into the concrete and the motion jerked Allen awake. By that time, Desdemona had already finished another small pack of liquorice (it's a wonder how much one can eat during a 6 hour train ride).

Toma leaned down from the side of the boat to tie the rope to a pole. Allen stepped out from the small rocking boat and stood back on solid ground. He lifted both arms above his head and stretched, a yawn soon followed. "We got back pretty late," he said during his yawn, which made it sound more like, "We haat hack hetty hate." Or something like that.

"The snow delayed our train," Toma stated the obvious.

After Allen had finished yawning, the tiny drops of tear clung once more to his white eyelashes, which resulted in him rubbing his sleepy eye with the back of his hand. "It's already midnight…what do we do with the Innocence?" Desdemona noticed his subtle actions. Why _does_ she notice anyway? Maybe because it was so out of place. Really, why would a male exorcist look so damn _cute_! No, not the 'handsome guy' type of cute, but the baby-pink-bunny-rabbit-fluffy-stuffed-animal type of cute. She lifted her right leg out of the boat onto the concrete floor.

"If you go to the Science Department, there should be someone still awake," Toma suggested.

"Ok, I'll try there!" Allen looked back towards the boat through teary eyes but still managed a smile.

She can't stand it.

Her inner frustration made her not pay attention to where she's putting her left foot. The heel of her boot hit hard against the concrete side of the dock, she didn't lift her foot up high enough. She can hit any part of her boot but just not the heel. She panicked as the heavy condensed metal came off and dropped into the dark waters with a 'plop'. Her left foot, which was suspended in mid-air, became extremely light all of a sudden, which made her loose her balance and tip forwards, instinct made her skip on one leg to keep balance, but it was no use. It only made her come closer to the white haired exorcist and if she did fall, she would have fallen on top of him.

Allen stood there, the sleepiness made his reflexes slow. Only when she started heading towards him that he realized she was falling. It looked like she was falling straight for him. He can either catch her or be crushed by her.

Under normal circumstances he would extend his arm and try to help a person in need. But it was midnight, Allen was extremely sleepy. He did try to step forward and attempt to catch her but he ended up side-stepping and totally missing the girl.

Desdemona watched in dismay, she tried to re-balance herself but the sudden change in the weight on her left side made it difficult. She would personally prefer not to be helped by Allen, nor fall on him, but those are better options than falling face down on concrete. Now that he side-stepped, there's no hope. Stupid boy, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH HIM?

The concrete came closer and closer to her face, Desdemona tried to think of anything to save her from being in an undignified position. Suddenly, a flash of black appeared in her line of sight. Desdemona landed on something soft, not the hard concrete she had been expecting.

Allen raised his eyebrows in surprise. Just as he side-stepped, he saw something rolling down from the stairs which led up to the Headquarters. It landed on the concrete dock, straight in front of the falling girl. A flash of recognition hit Allen, it was an unconscious Lenalee. Desdemona, inevitably, fell on top of the older female's stomach.

Desdemona growled in frustration and tried to get up, but the uneven weight of her boots challenged her sense of balance. Allen decided to help her, offering his hand to her. She brushed his arm away, not trusting or accepting his help. She climbed back onto her knees and tried to stand.

Desdemona stopped short as she noticed the unconscious exorcist lying on the floor before her. She bent down and lifted the older female's shoulders off the ground with an arm and gently shook them. "Hey, Lenalee! What happened!"

"You're back," an Australian accent sounded from the staircase. A stumbling figure in a white lab coat appeared in the stairwell.

"Reever!" Allen exclaimed. The Section Leader had visible scratches and bruises, he was stumbling down the stairs. The young boy ran to the scientist's aid as Reever started tipping forwards. Desdemona rolled her eyes.

"Reever! What happened!" Allen enquired.

"R-run…" Reever said weakly, leaning against Allen's shoulder, "Komurin is coming…"

As if on cue, a large robotic _thing_ blasted through the wall next to the stairwell. It had a silver body, and 8 insect-like legs coming out from the side. A door dominated its 'chest'. The legs each had a purple stripe running down the center. The 'head' was shaped like a large surveillance camera, with two large lenses positioned vertically acting as its eyes. On the side of its head was a line of text printed in purple 'Science Department'. A large white hat with the purple letter 'K' sat on top of its head. It was huge, almost three times taller than a normal person.

"It's here!" Reever exclaimed. Allen can only stare wide-eyed at the monstrous robot. Komurin wriggled and pushed itself out of the wall, causing debris to fly everywhere. The white-haired boy helped Reever away from the falling debris.

Desdemona tried to move Lenalee and herself to safety, but the uneven weight prevented her from balancing. There's no hope in retrieving the lost heel, there's no time or point, she had a fairly good idea how deep the water in the canal is. There was only one solution left. She used the tip of her left boot to kick the heel of her right one. The intricate mechanism acted on the impact and the other heel also slid off. Komui made it so that with a specific way force is applied to the heels, she can easily remove the weights, but in this situation, she would rather not have it come off so easily. The Eurasian girl carried the unconscious Lenalee and ran to a safe spot, next to Allen near the stairs. She surprised herself with the lightness of her legs and the speed that came with it, even though she should be used to it.

Allen jumped in shock as a flash of black and white suddenly appeared beside him. It was Desdemona carrying Lenalee. He was sure the two were just on the floor near the boat a second ago. He never knew Desdemona had such speed. Previously, when they fought the akuma, her movements were average.

Mechanical creaks came from Komurin as it turned its head towards the five gathered at a corner, Toma had joined them. Its lens flashed green, "Located!" It announced, "Lenalee Lee. Allen Walker. Darmstadium. 2 exorcists and 1 element identified."

Desdemona stared dumbfounded. Definitely, this is definitely the work of the Science Department.

"Run! This thing is after exorcists!" Reever called out.

Komurin turned its entire body around, four of its legs lifted up and it started running with the remaining four on the ground. The uplifted legs now acted as arms, attempting to grab the exorcists.

Allen, Toma, Reever and Desdemona (carrying Lenalee) ran up the stairs. The weightlessness of Desdemona's feet made her reach the top of the stairs extremely fast. She looked back and saw Komurin still pursuing the three males.

That thing is definitely made by the Science Department, and has malfunctioned _because_ of the Science Department. She had seen one of those robots before, it always loitered near the dining hall. It was destroyed a while ago by Kanda when it tried to steal his soba… Sighing in exasperation, she called out to the others, "I'm going ahead with Lenalee, I'll leave the rest to you." She dashed away quickly, intending to question the Science Department.

The three males could only watch as the two girls disappeared over the edge of the stairs, which seemed so far away. They tried looking back, but what greeted their sights was inevitably the dangerous, malfunctioning robot. They continued to run up the stairs.

"TIME FOR SURGERY!" Komurin yelled.

"Reever! What the hell is going on!" Allen yelled over the top of Komurin's destructive footsteps.

Reever's eyebrows lifted humourlessly, "That thing is Komurin, an omnipotent that Komui made. As you can see, it is out of control."

Allen bent down, avoiding a large piece of rock sailing over his head. "Why?"

Reever sighed and began re-telling the incident. "It was only 30 minutes ago. As usual, we were busily doing the work that we aren't going to get paid for…"

Desdemona ran up the million set of stairs. The structure of HQ was ridiculously impractical. Each floor only had a small amount of space, and there were a few hundred, if not thousand, floors in this tower. Each floor had its own purpose. The Science Department is located not far above ground, which Desdemona was thankful for.

Without the weights, she can move much faster. She had gotten used to the weights that Master had made her wear. It keeps her feet on the ground when she throws akumas around. Physically speaking, even if you have great strength, you have to be heavier than the object you are throwing around. If you aren't, you are going to fly away with it. That's practically what happened when she first tried to use her Innocence. The weights solved that problem, but it was at the cost of her stamina.

Carrying Lenalee bridal style had became a hassle, so Desdemona ended up piggy backing the Chinese exorcist. They whizzed up 10 more floors quickly. Desdemona looked around, attempting to locate anyone from the Science Department, but failed since no one was in sight. The walls had huge cracks and holes in them, looks like Komurin had been rampaging around for quite some time.

"Hey! Dem! Over here!" A voice called out, followed by mechanical sounds of gears grinding against each other. Desdemona turned, Lenalee still on her back. The Headquarter's 'elevator', a large inverted square prism suspended in mid-air that moves vertically up and down within the 'shaft' through the centre of all floors, descended from above and came down slowly. The platform was huge, large enough to fit the entire Science Department, and from the amount of people on the platform at that particular moment, Desdemona was sure the entire Science Department was indeed on it.

A short male in his 20s with unruly long brown hair leant out from the metal railing of the platform, waving his arm in an exaggerated attempt to catch the Eurasian exorcist's attention. A pair of over-sized earphones sat at his neck, he wore glasses so thick that his eyes were invisible. "Dem! Over here!"

The girl rushed to the railing that lined the edge of the floor, which prevented people from falling down the hollow centre of the tower and straight down to Hevlaska. She measured the distance from the railing to the platform. If it was Lenalee with her Innocence, they can definitely make it. Instead, it is Desdemona without her heels. It was the first time she had taken them off since the last time another 5 kilograms were added, each of them were as heavy as her. She can afford to make a bet, if by any chance she misses on the initial contact, she can always extend Thora and grab onto the railings of the platform.

Desdemona secured Lenalee on her back and climbed up the railing she had previously been leaning on. She stood on top of the metal bars and waited for the slowly moving platform to descend. As it neared, Desdemona bent down and braced herself for the take off.

3…2…1!

Desdemona pushed her legs off the railing with all her might. They became air-borne and she was, once again, surprised by the lightness of her movement. The platform came closer and closer, the jump seemed more and more likely to succeed. She tightened her grip on Lenalee, preventing her from falling.

The two girls landed on the platform with a thud. Without the weights to keep her landing feet first like always, Desdemona landed on all fours in a rather undignified position. She quickly recovered and stood up, dusting off her black pants in the process.

Half of the population on the 'elevator' rushed towards the two exorcists. Komui was leading the stampede; he ran quickly to Lenalee, who was lying on the floor. Johnny and Tapp followed closely behind. The rest of the stampede surrounded them, stepping on their co-workers in the process. The large number of people on one side of the platform made the suspended mechanism tilt.

Johnny pushed his sliding glasses up the bridge of his nose while staring wide-eyed at the Eurasian girl. "Woah! Dem! That was a HUGE jump!" he exclaimed, "Hey, there's Lenalee. But where's Section Chief Reever?"

The girl shrugged. She looked around and spotted the Supervisor kneeling on the floor with Lenalee in his arms. From the back, it was already apparent that he was crying. "Lenalee! My dear Lenalee! Are you alright? Thank God you're not macho! Wake up!" he wailed. Desdemona sighed, she walked over and tapped the Chief's shoulder. "What?" Komui turned sharply to face whoever it was that disrupted his touching reunion.

Desdemona flinched, the Supervisor faced her, which granted her a full frontal view of his face. It wasn't a pretty sight. Other than the two fountains coming out from behind his glasses, two streams of 'sticky liquid' flowed from his nostrils and some saliva dripped from the corners of his downturned mouth…or was it just tears or 'sticky liquid' that flowed into his mouth and out again? Who knows. "I need new heels," she stated calmly.

Komui wiped his face with the sleeve of his lab coat and continued to sniff. "I'll get you some spares later."

"I see them! There they are!" A deep voice called out. Some random scientist leaned out from the railing and pointed a long finger downwards. The large stampede then rushed to the other side of the platform to see what their colleague (who they have previously trampled on) have located. The large platform tilted to the other side.

Johnny and Tapp squeezed through the mass of scientists and got a clear view. They spotted Reever, Toma and Allen a few floors beneath where they were now. The three ran maniacally for their lives. Loud mechanical creaks and shattering building materials sounded not far away behind them. The large silver Komurin followed closely behind, its destructive movements demolished everything in its way. Reever, Allen and Toma turned a corner, stopping temporarily behind a wall.

"Heyyy! Are you alive?" Someone called out.

The three noticed the large moving platform and relief was written across their faces. "Supervisor! Everyone!" Allen yelled gratefully.

"Section Chief! Hurry over here!"

"Where is my Komurin!"

"Hey! Don't push!"

"Calm down!"

"It's here!"

The Science Department watched in fear as a large silver body crushed the wall the three were hiding behind. Debris flew everywhere and the brick wall fell apart. Komurin charged out and jumped towards the floating platform. Johnny rushed to the Control Panel and jerked the platform out of the robot's path.

The floating pyramid tilted dramatically, throwing many people off balance. Komui was forced to loosen his grip on Lenalee and as a result, Lenalee was thrown over the railing. "NOOOOO!" Komui exclaimed.

At the same time, Desdemona was thrown into the railing. It was sure inconvenient without the heels to keep her in place. How do the others cope with being so light? In the corner of her eye, she saw Lenalee falling down. Instinctively, she thrust out Thora. The whip uncoiled, glowed green and extended. It wrapped around Lenalee's body and she fell in an arc. A loud sigh of relief came from the Supervisor.

Komurin paused as it landed on the other side of the hollow space. Its surveillance-camera head turned towards the dangling Lenalee and its lens flashed green. "Located. Lenalee Lee, exorcist found." The mechanical voice announced. It launched again at the platform. Johnny jerked the control stick, causing the platform to tilt sharply, again, throwing many people around.

Desdemona leant out from the railing, barely kept in place. Another sudden tilt threw a heavy scientist in her way. She had her back towards the flying man and did not see him coming. The large scientist crashed into the young girl, pushing her over and out the railing. She shrieked slightly in surprise as she became air-borne.

"LENALEEE! NOOOOO!" Komui shrieked, reaching a hand out for his sister.

Desdemona realised what was happening, she pulled hard on the whip which caused Lenalee to crash into her. She wrapped an arm around the unconscious exorcist and withdrew Thora. With her free hand, she thrusted Thora up above her, catching onto the railing of the floor that was the exorcists' dormitory. The leather stressed and then slightly rebounded, stopping the fall.

Desdemona looked up to see how far they were from the railing. Instead, she saw the long silver cannon extending from the elevator. "Don't underestimate the Science Department!" Johnny exclaimed. "NOOO! DON'T SHOOT MY KOMURIN!" The Supervisor's voice was heard.

Suddenly, the platform spun around in wild circles, metal balls were shot out from the cannon aimlessly. Toma, Allen and Reever jumped around the rooms and hallways, dodging the bullets. Desdemona had no way of dodging in midair with Lenalee like this. A large bullet hit the wall beside them; the force had both girls thrown up and, by retracting Thora, over the railing onto concrete ground.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! TRYING TO KILL US!" the whole Science Department tackled Komui, peeling him off Johnny and tying him up with a rope.

The culprit was then forced to walk the length of the cannon and face his beloved robot. At the moment, first priority was to get Lenalee back safe and second was to prevent Komurin from being destroyed. Anything else won't matter. Komui scanned over the present exorcists: Lenalee, Desdemona and Allen.

"Komurin, look over there!" Komui pointed towards Desdemona, holding Lenalee by the shoulder. He soon regretted his choice of sacrifice as any attacks on Desdemona would also affect Lenalee. "No, no, no. Not there!" the Supervisor panicked. Komurin turned its mechanical 'head' and his lens flashed green. "Darmstadium. Element located." The robot repeated.

Seeing Komurin having no intentions of 'attacking' an element (who programmed that in?) Komui resulted to plan B. "Allen's anti-akuma weapon is damaged. Go fix it."

"WHAT?" the said boy screamed in disbelief.

"Damage?" Komurin's lens flashed red dangerously, "Order placed. Allen Walker, due to damage, is now places as first priority." With amazing speed, Komurin charged towards Allen, not giving the injured exorcist a moment to react. The door thing at Komurin's chest opened, revealing many Komui look-alikes holding a variety of machinery. A purple leg/arm extended and wrapped around Allen in a vice-tight grip. "Taking Allen into the surgery room."

The white haired boy struggled in the robot's grip, unable to free himself.

"Now! Reever, Dem! While Komurin is focused on Allen take Lenalee over here!" the Supervisor called out.

Desdemona and Reever watched the entire 'betrayal' wide-eyed. The Supervisor was willing to sacrifice Allen to a malfunctioning machinery just to prevent his sister from getting in its hands. Desdemona frowned, what the hell is this? She still needed an explanation. Tch. Allen can fend for himself; he's got a new weapon hasn't he? Desdemona put Thora back at her belt.

Reever came to the girl's aid, offering to carry Lenalee.

"Whoa! A new anti-akuma weapon!" Desdemona heard many scientists exclaim and followed their amazed eyes to see Allen activating his Innocence. Bright light shone from within the weapon and he aimed at Komurin's head. If he fired, he couldn't have missed at such close proximity.

_Whew!_

A small shiny needle flew from the platform towards the struggling exorcist. It embedded itself in Allen's neck. The white haired boy visibly went limp as his Innocence deactivated. "Paralysed…." Allen muttered.

"Huh?"

"Sir Walker!"

"Allen!"

Desdemona, Toma and Reever said in unison. They watched in horror as the boy was dragged away defenceless.

"SUPERVISOR HAS A BLOW PIPE!" "GRAB IT OFF HIM!" More chaos on the platform as the entire Science Department threw themselves at Komui, attempting to grab the blow pipe while the supervisor struggled in the demonic claws of his co-workers.

Desdemona panicked for some unknown reason. Somehow, she felt the need to get Allen out of there. Well, it seemed to be common sense. Who wants a co-worker to be in _there_ anyway? She quickly lowered Lenalee, leaning her against the railing and pulled out Thora from her belt. The activated Innocence made the leather glow green. She flicked her handle and the whip extended. It headed towards Allen, who was transferred from the purple arm into the 'Surgery Room'. Thora grabbed onto Allen and wrapped around his waist, giving Desdemona a solid hold of the paralysed boy. She tried to pull him out of it, but instead, Komurin turned and jerked Desdemona off her feet. She was sent flying towards the robot and crashed into the metallic body of the robot, right shoulder first. She flinched. That was the shoulder she dislocated not so long ago. She gritted her teeth but still kept a good hold on Allen.

Reever, at the last second, grabbed onto the end of Allen's coat just before the doors closed. Both the whip and his coat kept Allen from being dragged further into the surgery room.

Komurin bent down, causing Desdemona and Reever to dangle in midair. Its lens flashed green after locating Lenalee leaning against the railing. The Chinese exorcist stirred, the anaesthetics were starting to wear off. The robot charged at Lenalee with full speed, intending to recapture the exorcist and start the surgery before she wakes up.

"Nooo! Lenalee WAKE UP!" Komui screamed at the top of his lungs from the platform. Komurin lunged, crushing the railing that Lenalee was leaning against, destroying the metal and a few dormitory rooms in the process. Dust and shattered concrete flew everywhere, making it hard to see what was going on. "LENALEEE!" Komui screamed.

Desdemona and Reever, still dangling from the door, looked around in the cloud of dust trying to locate Lenalee. But no avail, they did not spot the unconscious exorcist anywhere.

When the dust cloud cleared, Desdemona rescanned the surrounding area for any signs of Lenalee. She regretted leaving Lenalee at the railing, what was going on in her head anyway? She only focused on holding onto Allen and forgot all about Lenalee. What was wrong with her?

"Look!"

She looked up to the source of the voice, up to the platform. Standing at the tip of the silver cannon, was Lenalee. When did she get up there? Desdemona wondered. Well, never mind that. Once she wakes, it can't catch her. For the time being, she has to concentrate on not letting go of Thora and keep from falling. Komurin leaped towards the elevator, successfully throwing Reever and Desdemona in circles. For the first time, Desdemona understood how her victims must have felt.

Lenalee activated her Innocence and sailed through the air to avoid an attack from Komurin. Johnny informed her that Allen was inside the surgery room. She had to defeat the malfunctioning robot to get him out. Komurin wrapped its legs around the extended cannon. Its lens fired laser beams at Lenalee. She skilfully dodged them with her Dark Boots, while at the same time dodging its long flexible legs that were grabbing at her. The Chinese exorcist leapt and landed a hard kick on the large robot, it lost its grip on the cannon but still managed to land on a floor, again, destroying some exorcists' room. Desdemona recognised one of the two rooms that were crushed. Oh damn, she'll have to stay in the public Laboratory for some time.

Komui appeared in front of Komurin's lens, holding his arms out protectively as Lenalee stared them down from the tip of the cannon. How did he get there? "Wait Lenalee!" he pleaded, "Komurin is not evil! The coffee is evil! Hate the crime not the person. Hate the coffee not Komurin. Please, Lenalee."

Reever and Desdemona (still dangling) looked up disbelievingly. Reever managed to pry open the surgery door and get Allen out. He was wrapped in bandages and Timcampy was nowhere to be seen. Desdemona withdrew Thora and jumped down from Komurin to land next to her crushed room. Reever followed with Allen on his back.

Just after the three evacuated, Lenalee mercilessly landed a final blow on Komurin and its creator. They fell all the way down the shaft and crashed into another few floors before disappearing down into the dark void…

Poor Hevlaska.

* * *

"I said I need new heels," Desdemona repeated for the hundredth time. She tailed the Supervisor, weaving through mountains of paper in the Public Laboratory. She hadn't slept a wink last night. They arrived at HQ at midnight and the Komurin incident took almost 5 hours to revolve. Now everyone's busy doing damage repair. Komui just wouldn't listen, he kept on saying he's going to get the spares but he never got to it.

"Yeah, yeah, Dem. I'm getting them now." Komui replied. He walked to the general direction of his 'storage room' where he keeps spare weapons and accessories for some exorcists. "Supervisor! We need help!" someone called out.

Komui strayed from his path and went to help whoever just called out behind two mountains of paperwork. Desdemona sighed. If she doesn't get the weights back on quickly she won't be able to walk later on. Her feet have been walking around weightless for 6 hours, she can feel her strength deteriorating. Damn Komui, keeping all those weird codes and locks on the storage room. If there weren't any locks she could have got them herself.

She looked around the laboratory for anyone who can help her, maybe Reever know Komui's codes? She walked around a mountain of paper and spotted Lenalee sitting on a stool in front of a red couch. On the couch slept Allen. He had been unconscious ever since Reever pried him out from the surgery room. Lenalee leant over, taking the towel on his forehead and wrung it out in a basin of cold water before putting it back on again. Why was she doing that? It's not like he has a fever or anything. Maybe it helps with canceling out the effects of the anesthetics. Desdemona rolled her eyes; at least he got some sleep. She approached Lenalee, hoping the elder female could offer her some help.

Allen sat up sharply, probably still alarmed by the incident. He looked around and saw Lenalee first, then the Eurasian exorcist coming up behind Lenalee. Desdemona's heart dropped, his awakening meant Lenalee was less likely to help her. "Lenalee," she decided to ask anyway, "do you know Komui's passwords to those locks he put on the storage room?"

The elder exorcist turned and looked at her. "Dem! Welcome back!"

"I'm back." The younger girl muttered habitually, still walking towards the two while speaking at the same time, "I need new heels, I dropped mine in the Order's underground canal."

"Oh. Sorry, I don't know brother's passwords," Lenalee smile apologetically.

Desdemona arrived beside the Chinese exorcist, she stopped and stared down at the white-haired boy. "So you're alive."

Allen looked up Desdemona and nodded stiffly.

"She means 'Glad to see you're alright'," Lenalee elaborated, she smiled cheekily and winked at Desdemona.

"I don't mean that," retorted the younger girl, looking away from the two to stare at yet another mountain of paperwork, putting her hands on her hips.

Lenalee chuckled before turning to Allen apologetically, "Sorry about my brother's invention."

Allen shook his head and smiled. He looked at his surroundings again, all he could see was mountains of paper. "Where am I?"

"It's the public laboratory. Everyone's busy repairing the damage."

"Allen," Desdemona began, his name felt awkward on her tongue. She noticed his coat was missing, Lenalee probably took it somewhere, but still good to check, "Where did you put the Innocence?"

Realization flashed in Allen's eyes and he began to panic. Desdemona sighed for the thousandth time that morning.

Then, the always reliable Lenalee came to save the day. She held out the container containing the Innocence to Allen, "Here, this was in your coat. Luckily it wasn't broken. Just take it to Hevlaska and she'll protect it." Allen took the Innocence from Lenalee and released a sigh of relief.

Desdemona turned to walk away to seek other assistance but realised then she was surrounded by familiar faces.

"Hey! Why do I, the chef, have to do the carpentry?" Jerry's unmistakable voice complained.

"We don't have enough people." Reever pointed out.

"You guys aren't going to get any breakfast!" Jerry retorted.

"Hahaha."

Jerry, No. 65, Reever, Johnny and many other people appeared from nowhere and gathered around them. The laboratory was suddenly filled with laughter.

"Oh, Allen. You're awake!" Reever's cheerful Australian accent greeted the white-haired boy.

"Darmstadium, why are you looking so lost?" No. 65 inquired.

"Anyone know Komui's passwords to the storage room?" Desdemona asked no one in particular.

"Haha, welcome back." said everyone that met her eyes.

A smile appeared on Desdemona's lips. The atmosphere hadn't been so light for a long time. This is rarity.

"Hey Allen, Dem. Both your rooms were destroyed," Jonny said casually.

"WHAT?" Allen exclaimed disbelievingly.

"I know," replied Desdemona a-matter-of-factly. She paused as she took in Johnny's words. "What? Allen's room was destroyed too?" She asked.

Johnny stared at Desdemona like he couldn't understand English. "What are you talking about? Allen's room is the one next to yours."

"..."

Suddenly the room turned silent. Everyone stopped their chattering as an air of extremely fearsome murderous intent was emitted into the atmosphere. The temperature dropped several hundred degrees. Allen gulped, sweat pouring from his forehead like a waterfall. He looked slowly up to see Desdemona glaring down at him, small cracks of lightning appeared near her. He flinched, her eyes were extremely scary, murderous.

As if sensing the disastrous effect of Johnny's words, everyone evacuated quickly. Even Lenalee hurried away. This left only two people in the public laboratory; Allen and a murderous Desdemona. Allen looked helplessly around, there's nowhere to run. He looked slowly back at the only person left. She seemed to have grown devil horns by the second.

The boy gulped again. _Uh-oh…_

* * *

B/N: Psh. Somehow, I think Kami won't need me anymore. She's doing waaay better. You guys should review ;w;

A/N: That is not true! *points up* I can't do anything without Ink! Ah, yeah. That second part is true. You guys _should_ review. This story is always following the cannon storyline until now. But after a few chapters, I will fork out the plot and run it parallel to the cannon storyline. Thank you for reading it! I'm also planning to edit my previous chapters, because, reading those chapters now, Dem seemed to be OOC back then. And I spot too many mistakes…

Edit: Edited and edited and edited. Thus the edit: Anyways. I hope you read this chapter with a smile on your face. ;D

Click and type! It's just that simple.

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	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.

Special Thanks To **Xx. Envy Wrath .Xx**, **EyesofTCN**, **Crimson .light .of .Death**, **Anonymous Reviewer** and **Variation on Ink** (Sorry to those who had added space in their usernames, if I don't put the space, it won't show your name TAT) a**nd all of those who faved or subscribed :D**

I'm so sad. Ink is not beta-ing anymore! She is extremely busy. Well, thank you for beta-reading all those chapters before. Thank you very much!

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

Desdemona sat in the royal red armchair beside her bed and looked out the window. Her left elbow rested on an armrest while her right hand played with her necklace. The soft glow of the rising sun shone through the window, casting warm highlights to the objects in her room. There wasn't much, just a small wardrobe, a chair, a bedside table and a bed. Fortunately, her room was one of the few that had a private bathroom, the others had to share a bathroom between two rooms. It was quite small, with a small shower, washing basin, toilet and a mirror. This room had been her home for two years.

The sun continued to rise, although slowly, but unexpectedly fast at the same time. Before she knew it, the soft glow became a bright, strong light.

After running around on different missions non-stop for so long, Desdemona finally got a day off. During which, she would rather be more productive than sitting around doing nothing.

Desdemona stood up and stretched. A good night's sleep was much appreciated. She turned around and started to assemble her usual attire. First, she leaned down and slipped her bandaged feet into her heavy boots. The bandages were there not because she was hurt; it was to prevent injuries caused by the weights on her ankles. She then picked up her black belt from the end of her neatly made bed, it had a special holster for Thora that can come off to leave a normal belt. She keeps it on for the sake of convenience. She threaded the leather into the belt loops at the waistband of her black pants. On her bedside table was Thora, lounging lazily in front of her bedside clock.

Desdemona stood there smiling at the whip. Whips remind her of a very important person. It was such a coincidence that her Innocence takes on the shape of that particular weapon. She was attached. It seemed alive and conscious. Very possibly it was what all exorcists feel with their Innocence, didn't Allen say something like the Innocence showed his mind how to operate his new weapon? Talking about that boy…

Ever since she was informed that Allen was indeed the one she had sworn to kill, he never dared to face her again. Truthfully speaking, she never really planned on "killing" the one making those horrid noises. It was just the moment of exhaustion and annoyance that made her so irritable and impatient. Every time she saw him walking down the corridor to his room, which was next to hers, he would turn around immediately and walk away, looking pretty purposeful. But after so many times he had done that, she was sure he was just avoiding her.

She wasn't _that_ scary, was she?

Maybe she threw him all the way across the public laboratory, causing him to crash into a shelf of books which in turn caused him to be buried under a newly formed paper mountain and then took many efforts to dig him back out again…

But it wasn't that bad, right?

The black-haired girl scratched the back of her head. Her hair was out, falling straight down her back. She ran her right hand through her hair, untangling some knots. She looked again to the tabletop. Something was missing. She knelt down on the floor, trying to locate her black ribbon used as a hair tie; it would usually drop to the floor between the bed and the table. She continued to search, but the black ribbon was nowhere to be found. She stood up straight and sighed. That was her only one, what was she going to do?

There were only two people in the Headquarters that have spare hair ties, Lenalee and Kanda. Lenalee was probably somewhere making coffee for the Science Department. Kanda's also somewhere, probably training in the forest…unless he was called out for a mission, again. He wouldn't give her one anyway. Even though he doesn't state it directly and always claims to wash his hair with soap, everyone knows that he is actually pretty fussy with his hair.

Her best bet would be Lenalee, she already has four on her head, she is friendly _and_ not a jerk, like someone. She could be easily found and was overall a better choice.

She threw on the rest of her cloths, another white shirt and her uniformed coat. She happened to have a free and unlimited supply of shirts from a dress-maker in the nearby town. He was very supportive and offered to supply shirts for Desdemona after she commented how comfortable they are to move in. Some way or another, the dress-maker happened to make his connections into the Church and became a desginated dress-maker for Order's clothing needs. He was very thankful to Desdemona, seeing how she unknowingly made him a fortune. Desdemona don't get it, how come she always becomes a medium of advertisement?

Desdemona walked into her small bathroom and looked into the mirror. The silver cross on her uniform was slightly tilted, she adjusted it to make it straight. By wearing this cross, she was using her own life as a bait to lure out the invisible enemies, to save a civilization that found joy in hurting each other. Irony.

The Eurasian girl walked out from her room, closing the door gently behind her. She headed towards Public laboratory, where she might be able to find Lenalee and get a ribbon from her.

Walking down the familiar corridors and stairs of the Headquarters, she remembered how, 2 years ago, she was so confused and lost in this maze of hallways that she was unable to return to her room.

* * *

_An eleven year old Desdemona ran through the streets of London. A dirty, over-sized white shirt hung on her small frame. A heavy brown vest was worn over the shirt. A pair of brown pants clung to her skinny legs. Her long black hair was tucked under a flat cap. At first glance, many would mistaken her as a boy._

_The Eurasian girl looked around for a worthy target. Throughout the morning, she had already stolen 12 wallets, 4 pocket watches: 3 of silver, 1 of gold and some rich woman's ring. So much for being Friday the 13th, her luck hasn't been affected one bit. Her highly refined and polished skills in this line of work was the result of almost three years of observation and learning. She only started doing this to stay alive after leaving _that_ place, which was even before she came to Chapman's Horse Rental._

_Mr. and Mrs Chapman, they were very generous people. They owned a family Horse Rental business that was passed down through 4 generations and was quite highly reputed in London. Until one day, when a rich man came and demanded to rent Tempest. Shiny, black, purebred Arabian stallion. However, he was newly bought, bad tempered and untrained. Despite the Chapman's warnings of the dangers of an amateur riding on an untrained horse, the stubborn man still insisted on renting Tempest. He ended up dead. That incident sent the Chapman's reputation plummeting down. Rumour was that every horse from Chapman's Rental was crazy and will kill you if you get on their backs (which was thoroughly untrue). People stopped renting from them._

_When Desdemona arrived, the Chapmans only had 4 horses left, the rest were all sold. Tempest (no one wanted to buy him, despite the ridiculously low price the Chapmans offered him at), Aneira (the most beautiful white Arabian mare Desdemona has ever seen. The Chapmans loved her too much to sell her.), Lancelot (Strong, well-built Andalusian stallion. Was apparently the direct descendant of a race-winning stallion of Mr. Chapman's great-grandfatherfs time.) and Sebastian (Lancelot's aging father. Too old to be sold for any purpose. Plus, Mrs. Chapman was somehow attached to it.) To repay their favour of taking her in, Desdemona decided to help the Chapmans. She would, just like today, roam the town and pick-pocket as many rich-looking men and women as possible. The Chapm ans knew she was earning money, because she always brought money back and gave it to them, but they didn't know how she earned it. She only told them she was working somewhere._

_As she paced down a street next to the canal, Desdemona suddenly spotted her next target. There, walking on a bridge connecting the two sides of the canal, was a tall and beautiful woman with vibrant blonde hair. What made her stand out from the crowd was her outfit; the rich, black material lined with pure gold. Desdemona's trained eyes instantly saw how valuable that coat alone was. She started tailing the target._

_As she neared, she noticed a small white ball of fluff with a tail coming out sitting on the woman's shoulder. What's that? A monkey? Never mind that, she had to get something off her and that's it. She scanned the woman for visible signs of any valuables that she might be able to get her hands on._

_As Desdemona's eyes travelled down the coat to the pocket, a victorious grin appeared on her face. That woman, whoever she is, could not have made her work any easier. There, in her pocket, was a large leather wallet that was sticking out from the top._

_She can get her hands on anything from anyone's possession, even the tiniest of penny from a man's front pocket of his trouser. A huge wallet sticking out from the side pocket? No problem!_

_She followed the woman, keeping a distance so that she wouldn't get noticed. It was easy, that flashy coat is unmistakeable. The woman headed for the town centre. Desdemona grinned. The town centre was crowded with people; it would not have been a better environment for pick-pocketing._

_The woman stopped in front of a grocery stall. Vegetable crates lied around everywhere, and on the counter, there was a black telephone. Desdemona, about 3 metres from the stall, looked around to check if any others were also marking this woman. Undoubtedly, another boy in her line of profession stood at the end of an alleyway across on the other side of the road. Desdemona's eyes trailed back to the woman, who was talking to the stall keeper about using the telephone._

_Suddenly, the boy ran. The young girl paid attention to his every move, dreading for his success. The boy innocently ran across the road, seemingly very excited and looked back over his shoulder, not paying attention to where he was going. He bumped straight into the woman, the impact made him rebound back a meter or two. Then, fairly dramatically, he started crying. The woman turned around to see what had bumped into her. When she saw a crying 10 year old sitting on the floor behind her, she turned around and leaned down to comfort the boy._

_During that time, Desdemona blended naturally in with the onlookers and neared the target, she watched the boy carefully. It's a race of speed; whoever gets it first gets it. It is, shall we say, etiquette of the community of pick-pocketers._

_Much to the boy's dismay, the woman's hand travelled to her pocket and took out her wallet before he could make any move. Pick-pockets are not robbers, they don't confront the target face on, it's too dangerous. The woman gave the boy a few coins before he got up and ran away._

_There's still a chance for Desdemona. The woman stood up, put her wallet back into her pocket, the top still sticking out. She returned to the counter and something bat-like flew out from her coat. It attached itself to the telephone line and the woman picked up the phone to speak._

_Now's her chance! Desdemona strolled casually towards the vegetable stall. She kept her eyes on the wallet. This heist would be easy. She walked slowly and when she was really close, her right hand lifted swiftly and grabbed onto the wallet. She quickly but gently pulled on the wallet. Her steady hands careful to not make any mistakes._

_Suddenly, out of nowhere, the white fluff ball appeared in her line of sight. Then soon after, a sharp pain shot through the side of her right hand. Damn it! Stupid monkey._

_The teeth sank into her flesh, keeping her hand where it was, clear evidence of her attempted stealing. Another hand grabbed Desdemona around her right wrist. The woman turned around and stared down at Desdemona. _

_The girl cursed inside her head, now there was nowhere to run. She was hardly ever caught, and was never sent to the police station in her life. She lifted her head up and met the woman's gaze straight on. Her ego forbade her from looking away. Desdemona took in the woman's appearance. Blue eyes as vibrant as her hair, both contradicting yet complementing each other. Huge burn marks emerged from beneath the long fringe that covered the right side of her face._

_It's funny how she always bumps into little boys today, it was Friday the 13th after all, The woman was quite surprised when a pair of piercing onyx eyes met hers. This little boy's eyes shone of determination, while it was penetrating at the same time. Considering the situation, he was at a disadvantage here. The female general was a bit amused. That look, she knew it. It was the same look animals give to threaten others. Her old beast taming years did not go to waste, she summoned her own intense glare to return to the boy._

_Desdemona maintained her gaze, when the woman gave an intense glare of her own, the girl did not waver. After analysing the woman's face, Desdemona thought the woman was quite beautiful. The monkey tightened its jaws; some blood trickled down the side of Desdemona's hand and dripped off from her wrist. She felt the pain, but failed to react to it. Instead, she tightened her grip on the wallet._

_The General felt the tightening of grip through his thin wrist. This boy has guts. She was quite impressed…or maybe this child was just plain stupid…_

"_Lau." The woman stated firmly. The monkey instantly released its jaws, removing its teeth from Desdemona's flesh and returned to sit on its master's shoulder. The girl released the wallet, the black leather dropped to the floor. The women didn't release Desdemona's wrist._

_The woman smiled slightly, but questioned in a superior tone, "What do you think you are doing?"_

"_Whatever you think I am doing," the girl said, no matter how she is caught in action, she would never convict herself._

_The General was again, surprised. This is no boy! Standing before her was, in fact, a little girl. Without hearing her voice, the General would have never known that. "You have guts, girl. Why are you doing this?"_

"_Is there a reason for surviving?" Desdemona retorted._

_The woman raised an eyebrow, "Who are you?"_

"_That doesn't concern you."_

_The General was amused. She liked this girl, whoever she is. She has a strong personality. "What's your name?"_

"..._"_

"_I am Klaud Nine. General of the Black Order." General Klaud released her grip on Desdemona's wrist. The girl pulled her hand back and held her left hand to her injured right hand._

"_Never heard of it." Logically, she should be running for her life, but it was sort of useless. Onlookers have literally surrounded them, there's no opening to run through._

_General Klaud "hm"-ed in amusement. A general's job was to find and locate Innocence hosts, it was also to find more human resource for the Order. With this girl's ability to come and go unseen in small alleyways of London, she would be a great information source. The General bent down so that she was at the same level as the girl. "I believe you do not wish to be sent to the police station. No?"_

"_Are you offering me a choice?" the girl replied warily. She doesn't like owing people; they can use it against her. She also doesn't like to be caught, since it can also be used against her, forcing her to either do something for them or be thrown in jail._

"_Very quick thinking. Yes, indeed, I am offering you a choice. But it will be nothing that will put you to a disadvantage. In fact, this is an opportunity I am offering here. It will be greatly beneficial to you. So what do you say?"_

"_I want to know exactly what it is."_

"_Very well. This opportunity, if you accept it, will allow you to not worry about "survival", as you put it, any longer. I want you to come with me to France."_

"_To France? That is a long way away!" The first thought that popped into Desdemona's mind was Tempest, then Franz and Margret and the Chapman's Horse Rentals. What will be of them if she left? They would, first of all, be worried. If she doesn't support them financially, they might have to sell the stables. Survival, she wasn't doing this for her own survival only, the survival of many others were also dependent on her success._

_After further thought, she concluded that it would be much more likely to continue supporting Chapman's Horse Rental if she went with this General Klaud. Well, France is an unknown territory, but compare the unknown to the definite zero chance in prison. She'd much rather bet on it, she had nothing else to worry about. One good thing about being poor is that when offers as such are presented, you don't need to worry about whether this stranger is kidnapping you._

_For the moment, she won't tell the woman of the Chapmans._

"_So? What's your answer?" General Klaud prompted._

"_Yes," Desdemona answered, "I will go with you to France."_

_A smile graced the General's lips. "Meet me here in 3 days, I have some things to take care of beforehand." The General stood up, turned around, put a few coins on the vegetable stall's counter and started walking away. _

_Desdemona followed after the woman with her eyes. Suddenly, the woman stopped and looked back. "So now will you tell me your name?"_

_Desdemona raised her eyebrows, "Desdemona."_

_The woman smiled and walked away._

* * *

It was an unusual occurrence, she never failed at stealing anything from anyone, as long as they carried it on them she can definitely get it. If she hadn't targeted Master, hadn't underestimated Lau, hadn't persisted when the anonymous boy moved first, she wouldn't be here today. All those 'coincidental' events lock together in an unbreakable bond that forms the today as it is. Some call it fate.

Desdemona walked down the last flight of stairs that leads to the public laboratory. Those paper-works never seem to diminish in quantity. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The mountainous landscape was growing by the day. Numerous scientists were sleeping on their face on their desks that were filled with _paper_. Most scientists were hidden from view by the tall towers of _paper_. The few moving around were carrying stacks of _paper_. Those without _paper_ were nonexistent.

Nonexistent until Desdemona spotted the dark-haired girl in the exorcists' uniform. Lenalee was carrying a tray with a few mugs of coffee, distributing them to the sleepy Scientists. A white head bobbed up and down, following behind Lenalee. Allen was also carrying a tray of coffee. That boy will go away soon; he was avoiding her wasn't he?

Lenalee, yes, Lenalee was the one she need to talk to right now, to borrow a hair tie. Desdemona started towards Lenalee and Allen, tripping on a pile of unseen objects. She recovered herself immediately and looked back only to see a fallen stack of books. She ran a hand through her hair from the front to keep back some rebellious strands of hair from obscuring her vision. She really needed a hair tie.

Allen put down the last mug from his tray onto the paper-filled desk of Johnny, the said scientist was sleeping on his face on another pile of paperwork. Lenalee shook his shoulders, gently at first but became rougher as the gentle shakes were not enough to wake him. The white-haired boy felt an approaching person and turned around to see…the person he least wanted to see, Desdemona. For some reason her hair was out. Without it being tied up, it looked much longer than usual. The long black hair now reached down to her lower back. But no matter whether or not her hair was tied up, it doesn't change the fact that this girl may be homicidal.

Desdemona walked straight past Allen and went up to Lenalee. "Lenalee," she said, "Can I borrow a hair tie? I lost mine."

Allen put the empty tray under his left arm and was about to escape when…

"Allen!" Lenalee called out, the boy stiffly turned around to see both girls looking at him. One was smiling, the other was just uninterested.

"Can you give these coffees out while I go get something from my room?" Lenalee requested, handing Allen over her tray of mugs. Allen unwillingly accepted the tray and walked away quickly to hand out more mugs.

The Eurasian exorcist followed the movements of the boy with her eyes. When her gaze returned to Lenalee, the elder exorcist was gone.

Desdemona spun around to see the Chinese exorcist heading up the stairs leading to the exorcists' dormitory. "Wait! Lenalee! I'll come with you!" she called to Lenalee while trying to catch up with the elder female.

Lenalee looked back. She smiled and replied, "No, it's ok. Stay here and wait, I'll go get it for you." She continued up the stairs and disappeared into a hallway.

Desdemona stood there and stared at the hallway Lenalee disappeared into. Just standing there was too awkward. She looked around for somewhere to sit, but could not locate a single unoccupied chair; most of them were buried under paper. Instead of locating a chair, Desdemona located Allen trying to juggle trays of mugs. He balanced the tray Lenalee just gave him on his left hand, his empty tray under his left arm. In his right hand, he was holding a mug of coffee. The heavy metal tray was slipping out from under his arm and he was trying to keep it from falling by supporting it with his right forearm. The smooth material of his dress shirt was only making it worse. He managed to secure the slipping tray but ended up in an awkward position where he can no longer move, otherwise, the rest of the coffee will tip out.

Desdemona walked behind Allen and grabbed onto the slipping tray before gently pulling it out from his grasp. Allen panicked at first, thinking the tray was slipping further. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw the Eurasian girl was the one pulling on it. Allen moved his elbow away from his body to allow Desdemona to get it out.

When the burden of the tray was lifted entirely off the white-haired exorcist, he turned around to face the homicidal girl for the first time in nearly a month. Unaware of his left hand, during his turn, the corner of the tray hit against Desdemona's upper arm. Some contents of the mugs spilled out.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Allen apologized.

"Doesn't matter."

He quickly turned to the side and lowered the tray and the mug on a desk before anything more disastrous happens. Seeing as there was no free space on the desk, he just dumped the tray on top of the paper. He quickly turned back to face the girl.

"Um…Thank you." Allen thanked uncertainly while scratching the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it."

Awkward silence…

"What do I do with this?" Desdemona asked, she lifted the metal tray to indicate the subject matter.

"Oh. I'm not sure, Lenalee gave it to me," Allen confessed. He watched as the girl surveyed the area for any free table space to lower the tray but soon gave up. Remembering he still had a tray of coffee to distribute, Allen whirled around and picked up his tray.

"I'll help." She lifted a few of mugs from the tray and put them onto the tray she was holding. While she was doing that, Allen studied her face, her expression, her eyes, for any signs of anger.

There was none.

She walked away to start giving those out to the various overworked Scientists.

Allen stood there idiotically, staring after the girl. He didn't understand. One second she was murderous, the next she was helpful.

Lenalee reappeared from the hallway, holding a small pack of hair ties in her hand. She came down the stairs and looked around for signs of Desdemona, but found none. She only saw Allen standing there, unmoving, with a tray of mugs on his hand, staring into thin air. She went up to Allen and tapped his shoulder. The white-haired boy jumped, nearly spilling the coffee and turned around to find Lenalee with an amused expression.

"Hey, Allen," Lenalee began, "where did Dem go off to?"

Allen let out a long relieved sigh, "Lenalee, please don't scare me like that." He wiped some sweat from his forehead to emphasize the point. "Dem? She's there." Allen said, he pointed a finger to a mountain range of paper sitting on top of multiple desks. At the foot of those mountains, was Desdemona, with another tray of coffee.

"Dem!" Lenalee called out.

The girl looked towards the source of the voice and saw Lenalee, finally returned from her trip to her room. She walked back towards the two other exorcists. As Desdemona came near, Lenalee extended her free hand to take the tray back. The Eurasian girl lowered the tray onto the waiting hand. "Thanks," Lenalee said, she also gave Desdemona the small pack of hair ties. "I have lots of those, you should just take the whole pack rather than one. They get lost easily." The kind exorcist gave a warm smile.

"Thank you." Desdemona smiled back. "I have a day off, do you need any help?"

"Ah! Yes! I'm glad you offered. There's another tray over there," Lenalee gestured to the corner of the room where a small coffee stand was, "If you can give those out it would be much appreciated. And also, can you please gather up some empty mugs so I can wash them up afterwards? Thank you."

"No, I'll wash them."

Desdemona helped Lenalee for most of the day. Later, she found out the small pack of hair ties was all elastic bands. Being one to always have used ribbons, she had no idea how to tie her hair with elastic bands. Lenalee ended up tying her hair for her. Desdemona took note on how to use them for future conveniences.

Before she knew it, a whole day had passed. So much for resting while she can. She was once again in her room. From her window now shone through the moonlight, illuminating the objects in her room with a silver glow. Desdemona walked to her window and looked out. It was a full moon tonight, no wonder it was so bright. She half-sat on the window sill and rested her head on the window frame. There were stars too.

_Every star told a story, a sad story._

A voice, a phrase. All too familiar. Bidelia believed every star was the soul of a dead. Irony really, this whole Akuma business, her words can't be truer. Behind every pentacle, the creation of every akuma, a tragedy lies. Bidelia never meant it in that sense though.

_If you feel sad, look up to the stars. They will remind you that you are not the only one suffering in this world. You are never alone. _

_If you are lost, look up to the stars, they will guide you through the darkness._

_If you feel useless, look up to the stars, they will teach you that however small you are, you still shine, able to guide others through their own darkness._

_If you ever doubt who you really are, look up to the stars. They will tell you that your being is not defined by who your family is, how you look, or what you do. You are not defined by how others see you. You are only defined by who you think you are, the choices you make, and the reason behind your existence._

Bidelia…Chase…

Back then, she felt sad, she felt lost, she felt useless and she doubted her reason to live. She took Bidelia's advice, she looked up to the stars. They told her of more than she ever thought they would.

It was then that she realized she was trying to look for something. To fulfill something that is unfulfilled. She doesn't know what that something is. She also wanted many answers. Answers to questions that she had never thought to ask. She doubt she can find what she was looking for. But the act of searching and to have something to search for serves enough purpose to keep living.

Maybe she will never find it.

But no matter, as long as she keeps going, she will get closer and closer to the answer.

* * *

B/N: After this chapter, I will be on a hiatus to get my life back on a smooth track. I promise I'll be back soon!

A/N: Yes, Ink is leaving me *sniff*… not in literal sense. But I'm like helpless now. Anyhow, we'll miss you, Ink! Wait, what am I saying? You are not leaving, you are just not beta-ing…Anyways, I'm not making any sense myself so you guys can just ignore my note for this chapter. Heretic week for me, seriously not logical anymore.

Review!

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	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.

Special Thanks To **Xx. Envy Wrath .Xx**, **EyesofTCN**, **Crimson .light .of .Death**, **Anonymous Reviewer, Variation on Ink, PurplePunkette, iloveme264, The Puppeteer Master, CelmY, Kagehana013, **a**nd all of those who faved or subscribed :D**

Lot's of changes have been made. Firstly, I have changed my habited 'dialogue' to "dialogue". I only do single quotations because I don't have to hold the Shift key, which is kind of time/energy/finger power wasting. Secondly, if you see an asterisk * after a word that means it is explained in the Author's note at the end of the chapter.

Also, peeps. I only got one voter on the poll DX I do realise that the very hour I posted my other Author's note, the poll wasn't on my profile. But about half-an hour later it was. Please vote!

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

"Bodyguard?"

Desdemona sat in the royal red Victorian Chaise three-seater, in front of Komui's desk in his private office. For once, this place was not piled with paper. But instead, heaps of luggage bags. Komui sat at his desk, leaning his mouth against loosely clasped hands.

"Yes, I will need a bodyguard. Preferably an exorcist." The Supervisor nodded as he spoke.

"But it's just a short trip to Northern Germany. It's not that far."

"I know it's a short distance away," Komui confessed with a shrug, "But it's still possible for akumas to attack, robbery to occur and many unpredicted things to happen. After all, I am a very important person. The Order doesn't want me injured."

Desdemona's eye twitched. Important person? If he was really that important he wouldn't need to go himself. Just send some random person over and all's well.

"Why do you need to go anyway?"

Komui scratched his head, "Allen is badly injured. I need to go fix his arm."

Desdemona's eyebrow rose sceptically, "You can just transport him here. It won't take long."

"I also need to see Bookman, to consult with him about an important matter."

"Bookman? What's he doing in Germany?" she asked incredulously. Bookman and Junior travelled the world. It was rare for them to be so close to Headquarter unless they were summoned. Maybe they were summoned after all. But then again, why didn't they just come to Headquarter?

"Fine. I asked them to go there because I need to assign them to a mission from there. It's quite urgent. Also, gather some of your belongings. You will also be sent on a separate mission."

"What mission? Can't you just send me off from here?" The more he explains, the more unreasonable it is.

"You are awfully inquisitive today, Dem." Komui pointed out. He stood up and disappeared behind a pile of luggage bags, reappearing seconds later. He was armoured with two helmets, camouflage clothing, a thick bulletproof vest and thick soled boots. He was armed too, a small portable machine gun was in his hands. On his heavy belt, there were daggers, grenades and strips of spare bullets for the gun. All the armoury and weaponry made it look hard to breathe in.

Desdemona sweatdropped. "That is because you are awfully uninformative," she retorted.

"Ah, whatever you say. You just need to come to Germany with me. It's an order." Komui said with a superior tone, almost threatening.

"Fine." The Eurasian girl stood up from the Victorian Chaise and stretched. Something was dumped at her feet. She looked to the Supervisor, standing cautiously at the doorway. He looked back and forth in the corridor while the door frame shielded most of his body. Komui ran outside and hid behind a pillar, pointing the gun in random directions as if he was a war-time soldier.

Desdemona stared at him in dismay. Is this really the genius scientist the Order employed?

Suddenly, he screamed. That was when Desdemona realized he was already half-way down the hallway. "OOOIIII!"

"What?" Desdemona rushed to the door to check on her subject of protection. He stood there, perfectly fine.

"Oi, Dem! Please carry those bags down to the dock! Then go gather your own stuff! Meet you at the dock in 20 minutes!" Komui ordered.

Desdemona looked back at the spot she was standing before. Six large luggage bags sat on the floor. She went over to pick them up and swung two of them over her right shoulder, two of them hung from her bent right elbow and the other two carried with her left hand. The size of the bags already made it hard to move around, but the weight only made it worse. Komui put solid lead into those, didn't he?

She went after the supervisor down the hall. While she was having a hard time walking in a straight line, Komui ran in zigzags from pillar to pillar and was always pointing his gun around.

Then he suddenly did a detour from the way down to the dock. He turned a corner and went into his private storage room.

"Komui! Where are you going?" Desdemona called after him.

"Getting equipment to fix Allen's arm!" Komui shouted back.

She quickly continued walking to the dock before he could dump any more weight on her.

* * *

Komui lowered his seventh luggage bag onto the floor beside the bed and took out an enormous drill. He also put on a helmet.

He was in a medium-sized hospital room. And as most hospital rooms are, everything was white. From the white wall, the white curtains, the white window frame, to the white window sill jutting slightly out from the wall. The white bedside table stood beside a white hospital bed, which was covered in white sheets. On the white bed slept a white-haired boy wearing a white dress shirt. White bandages covered the majority of his skin and his left eye.

Next to the boy stood Komui, who was rolling up his sleeves in anticipation. He picked up the drill and smiled innocently at his patient, showing a row of sparkly white teeth. The Supervisor lifted his head up and looked to the doorway. Standing there, were two exorcists.

Desdemona stood in the hallway, leaning against the opposite wall. Her dark uniform contrasted greatly with the white wall. In addition to that, the sunlight shining through the white window at the end of the corridor tinted her hair slightly red. But the most eye-catching one would be the taller male leaning against the door frame. The bright red spiky hair, the orange long scarf, the light green of the bandana and his sea green eyes made Lavi the most colourful one in this entire building.

"Lavi, Dem," Komui said, catching the two's attention, "Don't let anyone in."

"Gotcha!" Lavi said enthusiastically. Desdemona nodded. They both knew what he meant. It wasn't the first time they witnessed a Parasitic-type being repaired. Back in the Headquarter, those screams of agony reached down to the underground canal. Having Equipment type is a form of blessing.

Komui flicked the switch and the drill slowly started to spin. It became faster and faster, the mechanical noises it made became louder and louder. The grinning Supervisor lowered the penetrating tip of the drill towards Allen.

Just then, a silver eye slowly opened in the white. They blinked a few times to register what was happening. At the sight of the all-too-familiar giant drill, Allen froze. "Ahh!"

"Yo!" The Supervisor greeted Allen, "You're awake?" Komui lowered the drill even further. A mix of shock, fear and confusion showed on Allen's face.

"Komui? Where am I?"

"Where?" Komui echoed, "The Hospital, of course." The innocent grin reappeared on the Supervisor's face.

Lavi and Desdemona flinched as another round of ear-splitting scream echoed through the hospital. As predicted, many doctors and nurses came to check on Allen. By the time they got to the door, Allen's screams had already faded. The nurses insisted on checking on the boy. The screams may have faded but the loud mechanical sounds of the drill did not. It took many efforts for Lavi and Desdemona to coax the anxious nurses into believing it was nothing, just the Supervisor doing some repairs.

Allen sat up after the repair was done. He cradled his left arm and attempted to move it around. Komui sat down on the chair next to the bed, pulling the helmet back so it rested on his back. "We got a 'town returned to normal' message from the finders we stationed outside the town." Komui began, referring to the so-called 'Rewinding Town'. "Good job on the mission." He flashed a smile towards Allen.

"The town?" Allen questioned.

"Ms. Miranda was here earlier. You just missed her."

The white-haired boy lowered his head, as if in deep thought. He looked back up at the chief after a few seconds. "Come to think of it, why are you here, Komui?"

"To repair you, of course!" The older male winked.

"Seriously?" The younger male doubted.

"Actually, neither of you will be going back to Headquarters. We have to assign you to a long term mission from here," Komui took off his helmet completely, "We will go into the details later when Lenalee wakes up."

The cursed boy was alarmed by the news, "Lenalee hasn't woken up yet?"

"It's due to nerve damage…" Komui continued, "but…"

"She'll be fine," an unfamiliar voice came from the doorway, "Gramps is taking care of her as we speak. She'll be back to normal in no time."

Allen turned his head in the direction of the voice and spotted a red-haired exorcist leaning against the door frame. Looking past him, standing in the corridor was Desdemona, talking to the Head Nurse, clearly getting impatient. Allen's gaze returned to the stranger in the doorway.

Seeing Allen's confused look, Lavi flashed a warm smile. "I'm Lavi. Nice to meet you."

"…Nice to meet you." The younger boy said hesitantly.

"Seriously, Lavi. If you can stand there and chat, why can't you help me deal with some ignorant old women?" The Eurasian girl walked up to the doorway and punched Lavi's arm with a frown. Lavi let out a nervous laugh.

Komui chuckled. "Oh, right. Allen." The boy turned his attention back to the Supervisor. "We have a message for you from Ms. Miranda." Komui lifted his head and nodded at Desdemona. She sighed and walked away from the doorway into the corridor and out of sight. She returned seconds later, carrying a large brown luggage bag. She dumped it next to Komui's equipment bag on the floor.

She straightened up as Komui bent down to unzip and dig through the many papers in the bag. Even though she saw him chuck the letter in at the very top, it seemed to have sunk into the depths of the bag.

At the mean time, she looked down at the white-haired boy on the hospital bed. Bandages were wrapped around his forehead, some of his silvery-white hair hung over the bandage and over his face. His hair had grown pretty long, slightly passing his shoulders. A cotton eye-patch came out from beneath the bandages and covered his left eye. On his right cheek, another cotton patch was taped to his skin.

The boy caught her stare and flashed a smile. Desdemona didn't look away. Instead, she continued to stare into his eyes. He too did not look away, she noticed, like he always did.

"Ah! I found it!"

Both exorcists turned their heads towards Komui, holding up a crumbled piece of letter written in German. The chief passed the letter to Allen, who willingly took it, opened the letter and began to read.

* * *

Why does she _always_ have to do these types of stuff? Ranging from grocery shopping, errand running, sending messages, problem solving to babysitting, everything that doesn't fit in anyone's job description gets written, in invisible ink, in hers. She doesn't understand why she always ends up doing these things.

The thing is, no one will do these things, but they must be done. If she doesn't do them, no one will. But _someone_'s got to do it.

The Eurasian girl looked down at the apple in her hand, its half-peeled skin sat in a spiral on the white plate on her knees while she continued to peel the rest of the apple. She challenged herself to keep all the skin in one piece, without it breaking. But wait, why is she doing this?

Desdemona sighed. And why was she here again? Because a certain intelligence deprived exorcist can do nothing but sleep and eat. She glanced to the side and saw Allen's sleeping form. His one visible eye closed and saliva dripped down the side of this mouth which he used currently for breathing rather than the nose. At least sleep in a more elegant manner, then. But no, he must have his blanket all accumulated on his stomach while spreading his limbs as far as they can go without falling out of their sockets.

The boy suddenly jerked. Desdemona jumped, the red skin of the fresh apple broke off and dropped onto the white plate. Turning to the side, strangling himself with the blanket. "Mitarashi dango…" Allen muttered.

Desdemona sighed again. The people at Asian branch would have warned her of sighing away 10 years of her life. Is that all he thinks about? Food, food and more food. He made her slice the skin and made it fall apart. Why is it so frustrating? Why is _he_ so frustrating?

The girl hurriedly finished peeling the apple and chopped it into small pieces for ease of consummation, considering Allen's fully bandaged hand, neck and head.

Now she needs to go out and buy some Mitarashi dango. So troublesome.

But wait, no one told her to go. She doesn't even have to go. Only because he muttered in his sleep. She doesn't have to go. There's no point in going. It was just him, muttering in his sleep.

Then why is she out here in the cold, standing in front of a Japanese restaurant, with a bag of Mitarashi dango in her hand?

Desdemona facepalmed. She doesn't understand. Why does she make herself do all these unnecessary things? Well, since she's out here already, maybe she should go buy some of those bags of Blue Mountain coffee Komui had been dropping hints about. What about those herbs Bookman mentioned to Lavi?

But no, they never told her to do those things. She doesn't have to do them. She doesn't have to…

She'll buy some chocolate for herself, yeah, she should do that. But hey…she just remembered that on the way to the sweets shop there should be a coffee shop and an Chinese herbs shop…

* * *

Bookman examined Allen's crushed left eye. The white-haired boy sat on the edge of the hospital bed with Timcampy perched on his shoulder as always. Lavi leant against the wall at the foot of Allen's bed.

"This is strange. Your crushed right eye is starting to regenerate. You won't be able to see anything for a while but at this rate, it'll be back to normal in 3 or 4 days. My needles aren't necessary. It seems to be…cursed," continued the Bookman, referring to Allen's eye.

The boy lifted his left hand and held it over his cursed eye. Timcampy, sensing its master's down cast mood, removed itself from Allen's shoulder. "It's a wound I got a long time ago, when I turned my father into an akuma."

"Allen Walker," Bookman muttered under his breath, "the child that the prophecies called 'The Destroyer of Time'." The old man extended a hand; the tips of his fingers were protected by some sharp-tipped cases, specifically designed for acupuncture. "We are mutual colleagues know as Bookman. Because of our abilities we both became exorcists. That brat over there is Lavi, I have no name. Just call me Bookman." Allen extended his bandaged left hand took the Bookman's offer.

When Bookman turned to pack his needles up, Allen glanced at Lavi, holding a small piece of apple and dropping it into his mouth. "Hm! Nice apple!"

"Hey! It's mine!" Allen jumped out of his bed and tackled the redhead.

Lavi backed away with both palms facing Allen. "Calm down, calm down, will ya?"

After Allen calmed down, he suddenly realised something. "How did these apples get here?" He raised his eyebrows.

"It must be Dem." Lavi said, using Allen's head as a support for his elbow. Allen narrowed his eyes at Lavi, he was just trying to emphasise the height difference, wasn't he? Lavi waved a finger in front of the boy's face. "Even though she doesn't look like it, but she's pretty caring. She silently does all the small things that need to be done but no one ever does." Lavi smiled at Allen's contemplating face. He lifted his elbow off Allen's head and shrugged. "I wonder if she's out helping me get those herbs she overheard Gramps talking to me about. Great! Saves me the trouble. I've got to thank Dem in advance…Ow!"

Bookman appeared next to Lavi and pulled him out of the room by his ear. Allen stared after them, feeling pain in his earlobe too.

"I heard that! Go get the herbs yourself, you lazy brat!"

"Yes…gramps…yes…"

When Bookman and Lavi left the room, Allen reattached his eye-patch to his face. He took out his previously tied up hair. It had grown quite long over the past weeks. He gazed at the plate of apples for a while before picking a piece up and chucking it in his mouth.

It tastes good, the apple.

* * *

Allen looked up at the clear, blue sky. It snowed all night last night, that's why there's a thick pile of snow on the ground, with which the two teenagers were building snowmen with. Well, only Lavi was, actually. Allen was just staring out to space.

"So…how old are you?" Lavi began.

"About 15." Allen answered.

"I'm older! 18!" Lavi chimed proudly. "15 years old…because of that white hair you can't see any dandruff. You can call me Lavi, though some call me Junior. Dem sometimes do." Lavi stacked a smaller ball of snow on top of a larger one.

Now that he mentioned the girl, Allen realized he hadn't seen her for the entire morning. "Where is she?" Allen asked.

"Dem? Probably gone to buy things. Probably gone to get those herbs gramps needed, and probably some coffee for Komui too. And maybe something for Lenalee and you. Don't forget her own chocolate." The redhead smiled, proud of his deduction.

Silence then stretched for a couple of seconds as Allen went through some of his own thoughts and Lavi piled more snow onto a large, round snowball.

"Can I call you bean sprout?" Lavi suddenly said.

The reaction from Allen was as exaggerated as Komui when you tell him Lenalee is getting married.

Lavi took that as a no. "But Yuu calls you that."

Allen looked confused, "Yuu?"

"Didn't you know? It's Kanda's given name. He's Kanda Yuu, yeah?" Lavi stared at a slightly surprised Allen. "That's right. You don't know. Everyone just calls him Kanda." The redhead flashed his mischievous smile. "Next time, try calling him that. His eyes are gonna bulge. But you probably won't be seeing him for a while until this business is finished, eh? Seems to me the next mission is going to be a long dragged out fight. The Earl is making his move. That's what the appearance of Noah's family means."

Noah. The Noah Road said... _Next time, it will be part of the Millennium Earl's scenario…_

Lavi, noticing Allen's distressed expression, said, "But don't worry about it too much."

Allen ground his teeth. His left hand was balled into a tight fist while his right hand grabbed around his left wrist. "I became an exorcist to destroy akuma. Not to kill human beings…" He turned sharply and stomped out of the courtyard onto the street.

Lavi called after him, "Bean Sprout!"

"It's ALLEN!" the boy corrected. "I'm going for a walk. Just go back without me."

Lavi scratched his head. He smiled, "Yep, a brat."

* * *

Desdemona walked through the streets of the city. There's a lot of shops here, selling a lot of different things. She held 3 paper bags in her hand. One filled with Mitarashi dango. She wondered if it will be enough for him, his stomach is an endless hole after all.

Wait, no. Why is she going to carry the extra weight for his sake? No reason. Therefore, she's not going to do it.

In the two other bags she had a pack of Medium ground Blue Mountain coffee, a parcel of herbs and 2 packets of chocolate. She wondered why she went to get those…

Suddenly, Allen appeared and stomped across the intersection before her, almost like he was angry. She raised an eyebrow. His eye isn't healed yet, right?

Following close behind was Lavi, his fiery red hair unmistakable.

"Junior!" She called. Lavi stopped in his tracks. He turned his head and saw Desdemona walking towards him from the right side of the intersection.

She carried many paper bags, sealed at the top. Lavi could already guess what was in it.

"Hey," Lavi lifted his hand in a half wave. "Got to go chase after Bean Sprout."

Desdemona pointed a finger in the direction Allen went, "What's Allen doing out here?"

Lavi shrugged. The girl blinked a few times, "Oh."

The redhead heaved a sigh. "Well, got to keep an eye on him." He pointed his right index and middle finger to his temple then away in a light-hearted salute-like gesture and hurriedly ran down the street to chase after the white-haired boy.

"Hope he's still alive." Desdemona muttered. She turned and headed back the way Lavi came.

Even before she could take ten steps, a loud 'BANG' came from the general direction of where Lavi just went. The ground shook and loud screams were heard. Desdemona turned around, just in time to see Lavi skidding into view. His Innocence activated. He jumped out of the way just before a round of bullets rained down. His hammer grew big while he was in mid-air and with the aid of gravity, brought it down on a Level 1 akuma.

Many civilians were evacuating, most of them ran down the street Desdemona was on. Should she go and help? She continued to observe, there seemed to be only Level 1s.

A sudden bone-chilling air made her hair stand on end. She quickly turned around and pulled out Thora. A middle aged man stood behind her, his hands lifted as if he was about to grab her. She backed away a few steps and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. At the same time she activated her Innocence, the black whip glowed green.

The man smiled a sickly smile, "Miss, you should run this way. There are murderers on that street."

The exorcist continued to back away from the man. A running little girl bumped into Desdemona from behind. She looked back to see the girl sitting on the floor, crying. She felt a rush of air coming towards her and looked back at the man. Only there was no man. Instead, a Level 1 lunged at her. Desdemona lashed out her whip. The leather cut into the flesh of the akuma and the machine exploded into dust.

Just as she was about to relax, something hard and narrow was pressed into her lower back, the tip of a gun. The girl froze. She tilted her head slightly to catch sight of what was supposed to be the little girl, only it was a half-transformed Akuma. The flesh on her arm was twisted to a point, and at that point, the tip of a gun pocked out from within her flesh.

"How…" Desdemona breathed.

The akuma let out an ear-shrieking laugh. "Idiot exorcist. Originally, I just wanted my dear Level 1 to level up, but who knows it found an exorcist! Gyahahahaha!"

"Tch," Desdemona's jaw clenched. She was not in a good situation here.

Then suddenly, the ground shook as she felt something large and heavy landed behind her. The pressure on her back by the gun was gone. She quickly turned and backed away. A huge black hammer now stood where the akuma had been.

"Hey, don't let your guard down." Lavi said, a bit amused.

"Don't need you to tell me."

A large shadow fell across them. They looked up to see three more fully transformed Level 1s. They jumped out of the way as they started shooting.

"Why are there so many?" Lavi complained as he jumped up and hit an akuma squarely on the back with his Size Shifting Hammer.

Desdemona wrapped Thora around one of the remaining akuma. She yanked on the whip and the Level 1 headed towards her. She ducked, it sailed past her head and crashed into a house. She then threw the akuma forwards, throwing the akuma at the remaining one. She withdrew Thora just before the two crashed into each other. The impact threw them both into another building. One of them burst into dust. Lavi brought his hammer down on the last one and it too burst into dust.

"This can't be a coincident," Desdemona murmured. "Lavi!" The redhead turned his head at the mention of his name. "I'm going back to the hospital. Leave the rest to you."

Lavi flashed a smile and did a thumbs up. The pose did not last very long since another round of akuma bullets rained upon him.

Desdemona held Thora in a loose coil, but not yet deactivated. She turned to run towards the hospital. She had been holding the bags for the whole time, she just realised. No wonder she felt so handicapped.

She hurried back to find the two finders that were at the door were now nothing but two pools of blood and piles of clothing on the floor. The familiar end of those infected by Akuma virus. She carefully twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

Pieces of paper were scattered all across the room, carpeting the floor in a thick layer of white, a sight that was too familiar. Komui was carrying Lenalee; they stood at the far corner of the room. Straight in front of Desdemona, three Level 2s lay limply on top of each other against the wall. Bookman stood in front of them, not a single scratch on him.

"Why did you come here?" Bookman interrogated.

"He…he he he he he he…" one of the akuma laughed, "The Millennium Earl has a message for you… 'Time is up. The one thousand year prologue is over. Now the drama will unfold. When you hear the bell for the curtain call, don't run! You exorcists are our performers! '"

Suddenly, the arm of an akuma lifted up over Bookman. A bunny's head detached itself from the arm and flew over straight at Komui. It transformed into a menacing looking fish's head with eyes all over itself. It opened its mouth, revealing long sharp teeth.

As it neared the Supervisor, it suddenly blew up, creating a screen of smoke that hid Komui from view. "Komui!" Desdemona called out but no response came.

When the smoke cleared, instead of a burnt Supervisor, there was Lenalee with Dark Boots activated. She lowered her uplifted leg, turned and smiled at her brother.

"Lenalee…" Komui breathed.

Bookman tucked his hands into his sleeves, "So you woke up."

Desdemona frowned at the akuma that just shot out a bunny head. "I think Bookman is done interrogating." She muttered to herself. Thora lashed out and both Level 2s turned to dust.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" A loud scream came from outside, and was approaching fast. In less than 2 seconds, the window shattered. Two exorcists came flying into the room, riding Lavi's giant hammer. They crashed straight into Bookman and continued to slide across the room until they hit against the opposite wall, toppling over a tall pile of paperwork on top of Desdemona and buried the other three.

"You used _that_ to fly again, Lavi…" Komui said, accusingly.

A certain redhead emerged from the dust and paper. He scratched his head and laughed nervously. "Ahhahaha…my bad! This thing is really convenient. But it's damn hard to brake! Though it feels real good, right Allen?"

"…"

"Allen?"

A towering dark shadow loomed over Lavi, he looked up nervously. There Allen was, draped over Bookman's head limply. His face looked like he was about to give out pretty soon. Then there was Bookman. If looks could kill, Lavi wouldn't have seen another sunrise. A stream of blood flowed out from the old man's right nostril, his mouth was drawn into a downward scowl, and his eyes sparked a dangerous light.

Lavi froze, "Alle…?"

Popping out from beneath the paper, an equally murderous Desdemona pulled on Allen's and Lavi's collar, dragging Allen off Bookman's head and strangling Lavi.

Bookman released a breath of rage, steam came from his nostrils, ears and mouth. "You….DAMN…..BRATS!"

The next thing that happened…you don't want to know what happened. The sight was gruesome enough for the author to not want to describe. This is only a T-rated fanfic afterall.

* * *

Desdemona sat in the comfort of the Order's horse carriage. Her elbow rested on the armrest as she stared out the window. The uncomfortable shifting, the creaking of the spring on the opposite seat and a variety of different sounds that came from the two teenagers irritated her to an almost unbearable extent.

Allen and Lavi. As their punishment, they had to sit with their legs under them the whole time on the carriage. Watching their face was greatly amusing, actually. Lavi looked like he just ate a lemon. Allen looked as if he was constipated. Sitting beside them was Lenalee. Feel sorry for her. Desdemona was seated luckily on the safe side, with Bookman and Komui.

Komui coughed into his hand as an attempt to get the others attention. "Now then, let's talk about the mission." He paused and looked at the two exorcists sitting in seiza*. They don't seem to be listening at all. "OK, you two?" Still not listening. He looked to the side, Desdemona wasn't listening either. Is the scenery out there more interesting than him?

The Supervisor sighed. "A few days ago…a General was murdered."

The two males instantly snapped their heads towards the Supervisor. Allen's eyes widened in surprise. Lenalee lifted her hand to cover her mouth in order to hide a gasp. Desdemona turned back to look at Komui.

"The one assassinated was General Kevin Yeegar," Komui continued, "Even though he was the eldest of the five Generals, he was always the type to fight on the front lines."

"W-what happened to him?" Lenalee asked.

Komui lowered his gaze and shook his head, his expression grave. "He was found in Belgium. Nailed backwards to a cross. The words 'God Hunt' were carved onto his back."

"God Hunt?"

"Komui, does that mean the Innocence...?" Lavi said, pointing a finger to the ceiling.

The Supervisor nodded, "Looks like it. The General carried a variety of Innocence with him. He had 8 of them in his possession. Including his own, 9 were stolen in total."

"Nine?" Desdemona repeated, disbelievingly.

"He was crucified and suffered from multiple fatal wounds, on the verge of dying. But he kept singing until he took his last breath.

'_The Millennie is searching_,

_Searching for the precious heart._

_It wasn't me,_

_Next who'll it be…'"_

"The 'Millennie'?" Lavi questioned.

"Looks like it's the Millennium Earl's nickname. The Noah that Allen and Lenalee encountered called him that too."

_Huh? What Noah? Allen and Lenalee met one?_ Desdemona frowned. How come she wasn't told anything?

"Um…" Allen began, "What is the 'Precious Heart'?"

Komui took a deep breath, "One of the 109 Innocence that we are searching for, the core of all Innocence. It's called 'The Heart'. It is the root of all power of the Innocence, and can turn all Innocence back to nothingness. If we have it in our possession, it will be the first time that we can gain the power to stop the end. And _that _is the Earl's target."

"Then where is that Innocence?"Allen asked.

"Don't know." Komui simply shrugged.

"Huh?" Allen said incredulously.

Komui pushed his glasses up, and muttered a whole lot about how incompetent the Order is. "Actually it's very annoying. The cube had nothing noted in it about what kind of Innocence it is. Nothing about signs or distinctions. Nothing. It may even be that we have already collected it, or maybe someone might have been its host already. You know, we have already tried to get Hevlaska to look at the Innocence in our possession, and considered it from many angles. No matter how brilliant I am, there just aren't enough clues. No clues at all. It's a real problem you know. I'm really busy too. These Ancients should consider that and at least write a hint in there. They are so stingy. The General is only the first victim."

Komui sighed. His seriousness returned. "The Earl probably thinks that of all the Innocence hosts there are, there is a good chance that 'The Heart' resides in people with most power. The appearance of the Akuma and now Noah's family and the heightened military strength are all probably because of that. The exorcist Generals have become their targets. That is probably the meaning of the message as well. It is very likely that the same message was sent to other exorcists too. At any rate, the host for that Innocence would almost certainly have as much strength as a General. Still, a simultaneous assault by Noah's family and the Akuma would be too much, even for a General."

Komui scanned the faces of the exorcists. A variety of expressions ranged from shock (Lenalee, obviously Komui looked at his sister first. Oh, how adorable is that shocked expression), surprise (Allen) to bored (Lavi, of course. He already knew all that). Desdemona's face he couldn't see. Sometime during his speech, she resumed her scenery watching out the window.

"Exorcists from all over the world are being recalled and divided into 4 groups. The mission this time is to guard the Generals. The four Generals left are General Froi Tiedoll, General Klaud Nine, General Winters Sokaro and General Cross Marian."

Komui pushed his glasses up. They didn't seem to be sliding down, but he still does it anyway. "Lenalee, Allen, Lavi and Bookman, you lot will guard General Cross." The four mentioned nodded. The Supervisor then turned his head to the side and addressed the window-watching girl. "Dem." She tore her gaze away from the window again, quite unwillingly. "Head to Spain. Tina, Gwen and Sol are there, go meet up with them. They will give you the details." He pulled out a pocket watch and looked at it. "Your train arrives in 2 minutes."

The horse carriage pulled to a stop on top of a bridge. Everyone looked out. To the right side of the bridge was a 30 meter drop onto the train tracks. To the left below was the train station.

"You always do this to me." Desdemona shook her head.

"That's why you should be used to it already." The Supervisor smiled.

Desdemona sighed. She grabbed her suitcase, pushed open the door and jumped out of the carriage. She looked inside one more time, the two idiots were still sitting in seiza but they seemed to have forgotten the pain…or maybe their legs were too numb to feel anything. Lenalee did a small wave with a warm smile. Desdemona returned the smile, "Well, guess I'll see you guys lat-"

_Choochoo Choochoo_

The train whistle sounded, it was followed by a mechanical chuffing sound, signalling the arrival of the train. The exorcists watched as a train came from the right side of the bridge, disappearing under the bridge and reappearing on the left side, pulling into the station.

Desdemona quickly threw something back into the carriage, turned around, ran to the left railing, jumped and disappeared.

... ...

Lenalee blinked a few times.

... ...

"Um…" Allen began, "What is this?"

Lavi looked over at Allen, holding a large, brown paper bag. He opened it and seemed surprised. "Oh." Allen reached a hand inside and pulled out a small parcel labelled _Bookman._ He handed it accordingly to Bookman. The old man opened the parcel to reveal herbs packed tightly into a bound square. In an instant, Bookman jumped up and hit Lavi squarely in the head.

"Ow! Old man! What was that for?" Lavi exclaimed, rubbing his head. Bookman 'hmphed' and sat back down, putting the parcel into his sleeve.

Allen took out a pack of grounded coffee, labelled _Komui_, so he gave it to Komui. The Supervisor took it, smiled and threw himself at Lenalee. "Dear LENALEE! Please make more of your delicious coffee of love for me!"

"Yes, yes." Lenalee replied with a forced smile, probably thinking how embarrassing her brother is…

Allen glanced into the bag. There's something else in there. Another paper bag. He took it out and read the label. _The Idiot_ it said. "It's Allen!" Allen muttered to himself, not really knowing how he knew it referred to him.

The white haired boy opened the bag and found many sticks of Mitarashi Dango organised into neat columns. He beamed.

She's forgiven, for calling him an idiot.

* * *

* Seiza: traditional formal way of sitting in Japan. It hurts if you are not used to it. Bookman is using it as a form of punishment for the two. (Thanks khr lover for the correction :D)

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	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.

Special Thanks To **Xx. Envy Wrath .Xx**, **EyesofTCN**, **Crimson .light .of .Death**, **Anonymous Reviewer, Variation on Ink, PurplePunkette, iloveme264, The Puppeteer Master, CelmY, Kagehana013, **a**nd all of those who faved or subscribed :D**

Branching off the main cannon line. Since we all know what goes on with Allen's group, I'll just focus more on Dem's group. And also some minor corrections, General Klaud Nyne is spelt 'Nine', not 'Nyne' as I previously did. *Sigh* Different scanlations have different spelling.

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

The damp morning air of Spain pressed down on the pavement. Even with the Order's coat on, Desdemona could still feel the cold penetrating through her clothing. Spanish mornings are unlike those of England, where she grew up. It is much less foggy.

Another major difference was the people. The people here have a much more fiery personality than those of England, who were strict and reserved. Walking down the street leading away from the station, the first things you notice will be the amount of bars there were. Huge liquor lists were placed at nearly every door. The vibrant atmosphere was created by the music flowing through the air.

Two drunken men, supporting each other, stumbled out from a nearby bar. One of them was still holding a bottle of liquor. They laughed, sang (pretty off-tune) and drank as they stumbled away out of sight. Desdemona followed them with her eyes. Drinking this early in the morning? More like they spent the whole night in there.

Back to business. The girl scanned the area around her, nothing was familiar. Gwen, Tina and Sol told her to meet them at some café but all she could see were bars. She felt around her coat pocket with her right hand until she found a piece of paper. She took it out, unfolded it and referred to the location indicated, _Angry Bull: café on Station Parade._ There was a small sketch, obviously Sol's handiwork, since the straight lines are not straight and the street names were illegible. She can't even tell where she is in the sketch. She looked around again. This should be Station Parade; it's the street leading to and from the station after all. To confirm her guess, she walked a few feet in the direction of the station until she reached an intersection where road signs were placed.

Railway Avenue, this street was called. Her guess was wrong, Station Parade was the one running parallel to the train tracks.

She turned and walked down Station Parade via the intersection. Now, find Angry Bull Café… The big bright red sign with a black silhouette of a charging bull stood out prominently. That must be it, then. Desdemona walked half-way down the street only to arrive at the shop front and see the big red writing: 'Black Bull Bar'. She put a palm to her forehead, frustrated. Why can't the people here just name things logically?

Walking further down the street, she soon arrived at a shop with a bull's head hanging on its door. It was a real bull, its severed head mounted on a shield-shaped wooden board as a trophy with taxidermy. Its beady glass eyes shone of rage and life. The sharp horns stuck out from its head, bending upwards in a menacing manner. _This _must be it. She looked up to the banner hanging above the door, and for the first time that day, she was right.

A small 'Open' sign hung below the bull's head. She pushed on the wooden door and it creaked as the spring stretched. She walked in and let go of the door, it sprung back slowly to its previously closed position. Desdemona scanned the area, straight in front of her was the counter. A middle-aged woman stood at the counter, making coffee and serving the few customers. Past the counter, there were black tables and chairs. On the sides of the room, red couches were installed against the wall. In between each set of couches, there was a long ebony table.

She walked slowly along the narrow doorway and up a few steps to arrive before the counter.

"Um, excuse me. Are you looking for something?" The woman at the counter inquired.

"May I ask if three people wearing this kind of uniform came here?" Desdemona said, gesturing to her coat.

"Yes. They are at the last table on the corner down this aisle." The woman pointed down the row of couches closest to the counter. Desdemona thanked the woman and walked down the aisle. Her weighted boots made the floorboards creak beneath her. She hoped the wooden boards wouldn't collapse…but on second thought, she won't need to pay for it anyway.

Before she even reached the table, a voice reached her first. "My, my. So now the child finally arrives!"

The one who just spoke was Gwen, Gwen Frere. A 47 year old Frenchwoman with flaxen blond hair, deep blue eyes, fair skin, tall and lean. She has Equipment-type Innocence, a giant frying pan. Usual usage being smashing akumas on the head with the flat side, but has the ability to summon fire attacks. Close range, offensive. She was General Yeegar's apprentice. Personality as fiery as her ability.

"What took you so long?" Tina Sparks. 26 years old. Irish. Bright red hair, sea green eyes, Type I skin with freckles on her cheeks. Also an Equipment type, a hunter's musket. Long range, offensive. General Klaud's apprentice before Desdemona, studied under Klaud with Sol. A permanent disapproving attitude, finds faults in every Sol does.

"Sol's hand-drawn map is much more helpful than I expected." The Eurasian girl said sarcastically.

"You mean, you got lost." Tina raised an eyebrow and turned to Sol, "I told you _not_ to draw it."

"Hey! It's not my fault! I was trying to be helpful!" Sol defended himself. Sol Galen. 32 years old. Russian. Curly dark brown hair, grey eyes, also fair skinned. Equipment type, a mirror. Able to cast barriers that stops physical attacks, reflective barriers that reflects all attacks and invisibility barriers that makes anyone inside the barrier invisible. Mid-range, defensive. This person may possess intellect lower than that of a 10-year-old.

"Not entirely Sol's fault." Desdemona shrugged, "These people don't name places logically."

"Ah, never mind. Let's just be grateful that this kid actually got here." Gwen patted a seat next to her for Desdemona to sit. The girl sat down on the couch and lowered her suitcase on the floor beside her feet. Tina and Sol sat next to each other on the opposite couch.

"Wanna order something? The bill's on the Order anyway." Gwen laughed.

Tina frowned, "Gwen. This is no time to eat or drink, we have a mission here!"

"I don't think they will let us sit here for long if we don't order something." Sol pointed to the ceiling.

Gwen called over the woman at the counter, she seemed to be the only staff here. "So, what do you guys want?"

Sol, Gwen and Desdemona each ordered something and the woman scribbled on her notepad. After recording the orders, the woman looked up expectantly at Tina, who was frowning. The redhead noticed the stare, "I don't need anything." The woman nodded, took the menu that no one used, and walked away.

"Where is Master now?" Desdemona launched straight into business.

"The last report submitted to the Order indicated that she was in Spain." Gwen explained. "But after searching here for a week, we found nothing other than she headed East."

"During that time," Tina continued, "we also contacted Headquarter and asked them to try and contact Master Kla-."

"You know Master," Sol cut in with a shrug, "she's not like General Cross. At least she keeps in touch with Headquarter. So we thought if we asked Headquarter to try and contact her we might know where she is."

"Sol!" Tina said, annoyance clearly in her voice, "Don't cut me off my sentence. I'm trying to do some explanation here." Gwen and Desdemona watched the two; they see Tina firing bullets of words at Sol.

Sol raised both his hands in front of him defensively, like a barrier. "I was just trying to further your explanation. Because I know you wouldn't explain why we contacted Headquarter to ask them to contact Master. And also, if you don't point that out, it will look like we are incompetent and need Headquarters' assistance to complete our mission."

"There is no need! The fact you just pointed out is obvious!" Another round of bullets.

"Okay! Guys! Stop arguing, would you?" Gwen stepped in. Desdemona rested an elbow on the table and supported her chin with her palm. Her other hand was stirring the coffee that came during the heated battle.

"Did you receive any replies from Headquarter?" the girl asked. She straightened her back, lowered her arm that was on the table and put the spoon down on the saucer. When she looked up, three pairs of confused eyes looked at her.

"Did _you_ get anything from Headquarter?" Gwen asked back. Desdemona shook her head. As if on cue, all three of them put their foreheads into their palms. "Why?" The girl was confused.

"You were at Headquarter, weren't you? We hoped that you would get some news about Master." Tina explained.

"Actually, I haven't been at Headquarter for the past two days. Komui sent me here straight from Germany."

"But we contacted Headquarter about three days ago." Sol said.

"Sorry, didn't hear anything from them."

"Komui sent you here? Did _he_ say anything?" Gwen inquired.

"No. He only said to come here and you will tell me everything I need to know." Desdemona confessed.

Tina sighed, "Well, I guess we are back at square one."

Sol pointed to the ceiling, "Correction. We are at square two, because we already called Headquarter but are waiting for an answer. When Dem came, we thought we were on square three. But in reality, it's still square two."

Tina stared at the male, disbelief in her eyes, "It's a figure of speech. That means it is not to be taken literally."

Sol simply shrugged, "Literal or not, it's wrong."

Some veins popped out at Tina's temple. She was about to say something when Gwen cut in. "So I guess there's not much to do other than wait for an answer from HQ."

"That means, for now we can just enjoy our little break." Sol said cheerfully as the waitress/chef/counter woman delivered the rest of the orders.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Sol asked Tina. To which she answered, "I'm fine." while crossed her arms in front of her chest in annoyance.

They finished their 'snack' in relative peace and headed out onto the street.

"So, where are we going now?" Desdemona asked no one in particular.

Tina answered, "An inn Master stayed at on her last visit. Maybe we'll find some clues there."

* * *

Allen scratched the back of his head. Being screamed at while a paper bag is resting on your neck to keep you from straightening your back for 10 minutes is not fun. Lenalee was pretty mad, but she took the paper bag away, right? That means she may have forgiven him, but she still seems a little mad…

The white-haired boy was at a small station. Lavi, Lenalee, Bookman and himself were on a mission to seek out and protect General Cross. The train stops here for a short time, during which Lenalee came down to buy some food. Allen followed her out intending to apologise, but his apology was followed by a long lecture from Lenalee.

Allen looked up to the sky, partially moving his neck around more, partially just looking at the sky. He absent-mindedly wondered what others were doing right now. What Kanda was doing, not that he cares, and what Desdemona was doing. He's yet to thank her for the dangos, which didn't last more than 10 minutes. When the whistle of the train blew, Allen panicked and hurried to get back onto the train. Just as he was about to board the train, a hand seized his wrist, stopping him from getting on. Allen turned around to see a large, round man.

"On your chest…Is that a cross?" The man asked.

Mechanical chinks of the train started, first slowly then it became faster and faster. Allen watched as the train started to pull out of the station. He yanked his wrist free and started running to catch up with the train. Behind him, the large man chased the exorcist and lunged, crashing down on Allen. The boy fell over with the large man on top of him. He hopelessly extended a hand out to the train, "NOOO! THE TRAIN!"

The train slowly disappeared out of sight.

"The train…it left…the train…" Allen muttered, tears welled up in his eyes and his extended hand began to shake.

"I'm very sorry, Master Clergyman. But you are urgently needed here!" The man got off Allen, knelt and lowered his head before the exorcist. "Please do something to save our village, Master Black Clergyman!"

"Eh?" Allen looked back, tear still in his eyes.

The next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair in a wooden hut. A roomful of distressed civilians - all carrying some kind of weapon ranging from axes, pitchforks to umbrellas - surrounded him.

"Oh. No." Allen said under his breath.

* * *

"_Chase! Chase!" a little girl with shoulder-length black hair rushed around aimlessly, looking for her older brother. Her oversized shirt hung loose on her small frame. Big bright ebony eyes darted this way and that, trying to locate the older male. She was quite small for a 9 year old._

_The girl ran to the centre of the circus grounds, panting. Still no sign of the 12 year old boy. She looked up to the moon, it was about time the show starts. She had so much to do before the show starts, which included feeding the animals so they don't attack anyone out of hunger. The bad news is, Chase had the bucket of raw meat for the tigers._

_The girl panicked, if she didn't finish these tasks in time, Cosmo would be very mad. He would blame Bidelia for it and they won't be able to escape the man's wrath. She glanced at the moon again, there was no time, she had to get to the backstage._

_The girl turned around and ran towards the largest tent, dodging low wooden beams and jumping over trunks of costumes and props in the process._

_The Show tent was slightly isolated from the rest. It was the most ornate and the most brightly illuminated one. Every night, the tent would be packed with people who wanted to be entertained. There are all types of people, from the rich men and their friends, middle class families with children to beggars that sneak in during the show without paying. _

_She entered the tent from the back, arriving at the backstage. The backstage was a semi-circle, with the actual stage, or the Show Grounds, being the other half of the circle. The backstage and the front stage were separated by thick curtains attached to the support beams of the ceiling. The semi-circumference of the Show Grounds was lined with seats on stands for the audience._

_The girl walked across the arched backstage. Chests of props were opened and its contents thrown messily around. She picked them up and restored them to their proper places as she walked past. The Backstage was divided into two areas. The large area was the performers' dressing area, where all performers put on their costumes and ready their props. Dressing tables with mirrors stood in the middle while change rooms built with wood lined the sides. There was a slit in the curtains where the performers enter to stage. A big black board was placed before the slit so that the audience cannot see through into the dressing room._

_As of now, many performers were gathered in this area. Some noticed her arrival._

"_Hey! Girl! Pick up that costume for me!" Flamingo, the tight rope walker shouted. The small girl ran over and picked up a hot pink costume from the ground next to the man. The ungrateful adult snatched away the costume and stomped into one of the change rooms without another word. The girl dismissed it, she was used to it anyway._

"_Oi! You over there!" the girl instantly turned her head to the voice, whether or not the woman was calling for her, she had learned better than to ignore any call from the Master Performers, she learnt it the hard way. "You. Zip up the zippers on my back." Ariel, the acrobat demanded, turning her back towards the girl to show her own hands struggling with the long zipper. The girl quickly ran to the woman and did the zip. The woman went away soon after._

"_Mony." A warm, soft voice called out. The girl identified the voice. She gladly turned around to see a black haired woman smiling warmly down at her. The girl smiled back. "Bidelia!" the girl skipped to the older woman's side. Bidelia was the beast tamer in this circus, and today, just like any other day, she wore a black tank top, a black leather jacket, tight leather pants and knee high leather boots. Strapped to her waist was her whip. Her artificially curled black hair bobbed up and down as she bent down to face the little girl._

"_Mony, aren't you supposed to be setting up the cages and feeding the animals?" Bidelia gently asked._

_Mony, as the woman called the little girl, frowned with concern, "Yes. But I can't find Chase. He's got the bucket."_

_Bidelia pointed a finger to the left, "Chase? He just went to the cages."_

_Mony frowned, "I ran around the entire campus just looking for him." _

_Bidelia laughed. "Well, you better hurry and get ready, the Show's about to start very soon."_

_Mony smiled at the older woman and skipped away, heading to the area where they store the cages. She was, however, stopped at the next dressing table. "Girl! Go get my hat from my tent!" Jugo, the juggler ordered._

_Mony stressed. This wasn't part of her job, if she went now she wouldn't get enough time to prepare. As she stood there, not knowing how to reply without offending the adult, the ever welcomed voice of Bidelia came to her rescue. "Jugo, that isn't part of her job. Please go ask the errand boy to fetch your hat for you."_

_Jugo snorted and called over an errand boy. He had spiky brown hair that was stacked on top of his head in a messy ponytail. His silver eyes shone with annoyance, impatience and anger. A red square scarf was folded into a triangle and wrapped around his neck with a knot joining the two ends. It rested on his shoulders on top of his brown vest with a simple white shirt inside. He shoved his hands into the pockets of matching brown pants. After he was told to fetch Jugo's hat, he walked past Mony and exited the dressing area with a displeased pout. They called him Red Arm. They said he had a cursed red arm._

"_Well, you run along now." A gentle push was placed on Mony's back, she turned to see Bidelia's encouraging smile. The girl smiled back before running to the last area of the backstage, but not before she heard the muttering of Jugo. "Bitch. That brat is just like her filthy mother." _

_Ariel added, "Even more like her father."_

_She dodged a low beam and entered the smaller area of the backstage, where animals were kept for use during the show. This place was full of cages containing different animals. From ordinary horses to great big lions, everything needed for the Show was here._

_Two ramps came down from the stage. Those ramps were surrounded, top and sides, with bars. At the two ends of each ramp are gates that can slide upwards. The cages had wheels on them. All cages have bars that are set on three sides and one side can be lifted up to release the animal._

_Mony looked around, easily spotting the older boy next to the tiger's cage. Bidelia is performing with it today._

_The boy, Chase, threw a piece red raw meat into the cage where it was instantly devoured by the beast._ _He had short, black hair and ebony eyes, like both Mony and Bidelia. He had on a worn white shirt and long black pants._

"_Chase!" Mony said accusingly, walking up to the boy._

"_Hey, there." Chase replied while ruffling the girl's hair roughly . "What took you so long?" He added, nudging the girl's ribs playfully with his elbow._

_Mony got away from the violent boy and looked up humourlessly. Chase laughed._

_The girl bent down and took another piece of raw meat before chucking the flesh into the cage, where the tiger was anxiously waiting. "Whose fault was that!" She said angrily._

_"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to tonight's show!" A booming voice was heard from the Stage. Chase and Mony turned their heads in the direction of the Stage, watching their ringleader's movements through the opening at the top of the ramp. The audience clapped and cheered for the ringleader. _

_Cosmo grinned proudly and continued, "Well, without further ado, let the show begin!"_

* * *

The inn General Klaud last stayed was an isolated structure in an open plain within the forest west of the town. It was managed by a family of three: mother, father and son. The two storey inn only had four rooms for guests on the second floor. The first floor was the family's living area and the lobby.

Desdemona silently wondered what the three were doing all this time in Spain that they have not visited this crucial place beforehand.

After much interrogating and searching, as expected, nothing was found. Master is too cautious to leave clues in places like this.

Silence followed as the exorcists each contemplated on what to do next.

_Beep~ Beep~_

Gwen, Tina and Sol checked their golems. None of those were the beeping one.

Desdemona felt something prod against her right shoulder. She looked at her shoulder to see the shape of the golem struggling inside her uniform. It soon struggled out from her collar and flew around, beeping.

Gwen turned around to the innkeepers. "May we use the telephone?" The 18 year old son nodded.

Desdemona walked over to the telephone, the rest of the team followed. She attached the black golem to the phone line, activated it and listened into the earpiece.

"Hey! Dem." The Supervisor's voice was heard.

"Komui." The girl acknowledged.

"Your team has requested us to contact General Klaud."

"Yes."

Sol poked Desdemona in the arm to get her attention. "Is it about Master?" The girl nodded.

Komui continued, "We have managed to reach General Klaud and get her location."

"Where?"

"She is currently in Russia, the remote town of Primorsky. We have told her about the current situation and the fact that you guys are trying to catch up to her. She has agreed to wait for you in Russia."

"Right." Desdemona hung up.

*On the other side of the line*

Beep- Beep-

Komui listened to the beeping on the other side of the line. Dem had hung up on him. He wondered if Dem can ever answer with more than one word.

The Supervisor glanced at the mountain of paperwork and the people with paperwork queuing at his desk. He deep breathed.

"Is that it? Oh, hm. Ok, I'll see to it. Anything else? Oh. Maybe you should do that. Yes, yes."

Section Chief Reever, all too familiar with the Supervisor's tricks, yelled, "Komui! Stop pretending to be on the phone when the other side had hung up! You've got heaps of work to do!"

* * *

"Geez, why do exorcists have to exterminate vampires anyway." Lavi complained. He looked around. Valuable looking chandeliers hung from the tall ceiling, unlit. The black and white chequered tiles stretched endlessly into the darkness of the hallway. A grand set of stairs stood in front of them. Doors to various rooms lined the two sides of the entrance hall, a typical Elizabethan style structure. The lack of light and the slightly gothic interior design gave the whole mansion a bone-chilling sensation. So this is the mansion of a vampire…

"But isn't this strange?" Allen asked no one in particular, maybe just a rhetorical question. "I wonder what this vampire business has to do with Master…What was Master doing here?" The white-haired boy muttered. "When you think about it, doesn't it seem a little strange that Master left that message telling us to exterminate the vampire?" The two exorcists walked down the hall way, past an intersection joining up with another hallway.

Lavi shrugged, "What of it? So then what are we doi-" _Thud._

"Lavi?" Allen quickly turned around to find Lavi on the floor, unconscious. He looked around, white fumes crawled around their feet. With quick realization, Allen covered his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his uniform. Though, it wasn't that effective. The concentrated sweet smell that was almost sickly hit his nose. Allen's eyes widened, he recognised this scent!

Suddenly, he was pulled off his feet by thin fibres that were almost invisible. His legs were lifted above him and he hung upside-down from the fibres. Allen arched his back and craned his neck to see a most bizarre scene.

There, right in front of him, was a huge flower with a spotted pattern. It slowly opened its closed petals and revealed a centre with sharp teeth on the rim of a hole. "A…a flower?" Allen said disbelievingly. Tentacles shot out from within the hole at the centre of the flower and attempted to restrain Allen. The invisible fibres seemed to give out and the exorcist fell to the ground, barely avoiding the flower's tentacles. He looked around to locate an unconscious Lavi but he had no way of seeing beyond a few metres.

Because hundreds more carnivorous flowers surrounded him.

* * *

Sol said there was a train leaving for Moscow tonight, he was quite excited to be going back to his hometown, even if they were only staying there for a night before catching the train to Primorsky in the morning.

It was already late into the night, the forest between the Inn and the main part of town seemed more eerie than it was in the day. The path they had to following was created by the townspeople treading on the plantation, leaving a trail of compacted soil where the plants wouldn't grow. The ground was spotted with the silver moonlight squeezing through between the leaves of the canopy. A gentle breeze blew Northwest. It was strangely peaceful, the girl almost suspected herself of being paranoid. Akumas were everywhere these days. How can an obvious group of 4 exorcists not be attacked for a whole day? Maybe she was over-thinking it.

Before they even went halfway through the trees, Sol heard the rustling of a nearby bush. Everyone stopped and the Russian male went to investigate.

"Hey! Guys! Come and have a look!" Sol said, he pried the bush aside and stared intently at what was behind it.

The rest of the team arrived behind the male and looked over his shoulder. A man in his forties lay unconscious behind the bush, his face was pale and sweat glistened on his forehead. He looked like one of the townspeople. Sol bent down and held the man up by his shoulders, resting his head on Sol's own thigh. The Russian felt the man's forehead with his palm and frowned.

"How is he?" Tina asked.

Sol turned to the rest of his team, looking slightly puzzled. "He's…unnaturally cold."

Desdemona pointed a finger at the man, "Dead?"

Gwen remained behind the two other females, frowning at the man lying on Sol's lap. "Sol, I think we should leave him where he was and just keep on going." The Russian nodded and gently lowered the man onto the ground.

Another rustling came from the East, accompanied by a human voice. "John! John! Where are you! John!"

The exorcists looked at each other. Tina pointed a finger to the voice then pointed to the unconscious man and raised an eyebrow. Gwen just nodded towards the direction of the town.

Before the four could proceed towards civilisation, the shouting man pushed through a bush and arrived in front of the exorcists. This man carried a large sack along with a rifle on his back. He looked at his fallen companion on the ground and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the four uniformed travellers. He grabbed his rifle and pointed it at the exorcists.

Sol put both of his hands in front of him, palms facing the man. "Um, Sir. We didn't do anything to your bud-" The Russian man stopped short as a breeze of chilling air hit against his back side, making his hair stand on end. He quickly turned around to see the unconscious man standing limply, his arms and head hung down from his skeletal frame. He snapped his head up and let out a low scream.

Sol stared as the man transformed into a Level 1 akuma. It ripped apart its outer shell and squeezed itself out from the tear. Another low scream sounded from where the man with the rifle stood. He, too, transformed into an akuma with mechanical creaks. Only this one was not a Level 1, it's a Level 2.

The Level 2 dropped the sack it was carrying. The opening loosened and two human corpses, infected with akuma virus, were seen. They must be recently killed since they are still in human shape, but in no longer than a few seconds, they crumbled into dust.

Recovering from the shock, Sol looked around him to check on his teammates. There was no need to worry, because the rest of the team were much faster than him. They all had their Innocence activated and were all in position. Gwen held her frying pan and stood where she was, tiny flickers of fire were seen from within the pan. Desdemona, located a several metres from the akumas, stretched out her whip in both hands until it glowed green and she cracked it, making a loud sound, like thunder. Tina knelt on top of a branch some fair few ways away, barely keeping the akumas in sight. She had her musket drew. Sol stared, he never gets how the Irish woman could get so far away from battle in a matter of seconds, even when they've been together for more than 6years.

"Hey! Sol! What are you doing? Get into position already!" Tina's scolding voice brought the Russian back to reality. He quickly jumped up a tree, a distance away from the enemy and took out his Innocence, the Mirror. He proceeded to cast a physical barrier on the close and mid-range attackers and himself.

Desdemona noticed a thin layer of barrier surround her. It is close to invisible, but the tiny bits of moonlight that shone through the leaves and landed on the barrier created rainbow-coloured patches. She noted where Tina was and kept it in her head, in case she accidentally blocked Tina's vision or shooting route.

Gwen attacked first, charging at the Level 1 and attempted to strike it with her frying pan. The Level 2 was fast, it appeared before the Frenchwoman and blocked her attack with his forearm. The pan rebounded off the Level 2's metallic arm and it dealt no harm. The Level 2 was a humanoid with an exterior that was made almost entirely out of hard metal, damaging it may be hard. Desdemona wrapped Thora around the akuma's forearm and tried to pull it off its feet. It was as heavy as it looks, its armour alone must weigh a ton. The girl tugged hard on the whip and that only managed to temporarily pull the Level 2 off its balance and it stumbled to the side.

As soon as the Level 2 was out of the way, a silver bullet shot through the trees and embedded itself into the Level 1's flesh. Many more soon followed. The Level 1 crumbled into dust.

"Hey! Great work!" Gwen said and gave a thumbs-up in the general direction of where Tina was. Gwen herself had deteriorating eyesight because of her age, but even when she can't see the redhead; she knew the Irish can see her clearly. That girl has the eyes of an eagle.

"Gya ha ha ha!" the Level 2 akuma laughed after regaining its balance. Thora was long gone from its arm, Desdemona knew better than to let the akuma throw her around instead. "Don't be too happy, Exorcists! You may have killed one, but don't underestimate the force of the Millennium Earl!" It threw its arms up to the sky. Out of nowhere, many akuma emerged and hovered over the forest.

"Oh no!" Sol exclaimed as he looked up to the sky.

"This'll take a _long_ time." Gwen complained, her neck craned upwards.

"Can we get to the train on time?" Desdemona asked.

"We have to hurry, leaves in 2 hours." Sol nodded to himself.

Tina, who was out of earshot, agreed by firing another round of bullets at the akumas.

* * *

"Crowley!" Lavi called, walking down the narrow pathway between the seats of the Second Class carriage. Lavi sighed, "How does he spend three hours wandering around on this small train?"

Allen, walking in front of the redhead, laughed dryly, "Could it be that he got lost…?" *

Aleister Crowley, the 'vampire, had been upset ever since last night when the villagers (that kidnapped Allen and Lavi) chased him out of his home town and called him a 'monster'. Seeing their companion's downcast mood, Lavi suggested the 'vampire' to look around the train. That was three hours ago, and he never came back.

Allen walked to the end of the Second Class carriage, he pushed open the door and stepped onto the bridge connecting this carriage to the Third Class carriage. The strong wind of the outside whipped at Allen and Lavi's hair.

Allen pushed open the door of the last carriage. The two exorcists stared shocked at a teary Crowley.

A teary Crowley with nothing but underwear on.

Lavi and Allen froze in place. Disbelief showed on their face.

"Hm." A man with messy black hair smirked. Thick glasses sat on his nose and a cigarette in his mouth. He was accompanied by two other males and a boy. The three adults and Crowley sat around a rectangular suitcase, one on each side of the rectangle. A set of cards stacked neatly at the center. The four males each held 5 cards. The smirking man smiled at Allen, "Sorry. But right now kids aren't allowed to enter here."

"Now sir, let's have another match. What will you wager next?" The messy-haired man prompted.

"N-no, but…" Crowley hesitated.

Allen facepalmed and went up to the near-naked Crowley, "What are you doing, Crowley?"

The vampire shook in the cold, "Th-these people invited me to play something called Poker…And then, before I knew it, it turned out like this…"

Allen's right cheek twitched as he glanced at the displayed cards, _he got beat…It can't be helped._

The three men around the suitcase leaned in and towered over Crowley. "Hey, hey. You running away?" the man to the right snickered. "You've already accepted the match haven't you? If you're a man, stick with it 'til the end!" The dark-haired man urged.

Suddenly, an Exorcists' coat was held to the dark-haired man's face. Allen offered a smile along with his coat. "All the trimmings on this coat are made of silver. If I bet this for all of Crowley's clothes, will you have a match with me?" Allen said politely.

Lavi looked on, panicked, "H-hey! Allen! What are you doing?"

Four eyes laughed , "Haha, all right."

~x.X.x~

Lavi sat on the floor of the Third Class carriage. His one visible eye was wide with disbelief and awe. His mouth slightly agape with wordlessness.

"Call." A gloved hand gently lowered 5 cards onto the makeshift table, the suitcase. Ace of Spades, King of Spades, Queen of Spades, Jack of Spades and Ten of Spades. The owner of the hand smiled ever so innocently. A stack full of clothing and back pack sat on the floor behind him. In front of him, three men with nothing but underwear on stared at the 5 cards with despair, disbelief and hopelessness.

"Royal…Straight…Flush…" The man with messy black hair and thick glasses breathed.

Allen continued smiling and replied calmly, "I win again."

The three desperate men grabbed their own hair in frustration. "Arrgh! Damn it!"

Allen sat cross legged on the floor, his smile deceivingly innocent while emitting a dark aura. He took the cards and shuffled them. _This is easy._

"Damn it! One more time!" The unsatisfied men urged.

"All right." Allen, being the gentleman he was, cannot deny such a cordial offer.

A happy Crowley with all his cloths beamed, "Allen's wonderful!"

Lavi stared sceptically. He leaned over and whispered in Allen's ear. "_Hey. What's going on? Why are you unbelievably good at this? I thought your luck wasn't that great._"

"_It's because I'm cheating._" Allen whispered back.

"_Are you serious?_"

"_They challenged Crowley first._" Allen held up his newly received cards to his serious face. "_I don't feel like losing in cards. When I was training. I perfected my skills with my life in order to pay back the Master's debts and earn money for food."_

"_Skills?" _asked Lavi.

"_When gambling, I'll win no matter how many time I play…I won't go easy on them! They're coming at me 3 to 1 too, so it's even!" _Allen's smile suddenly turned menacing, revealing his darker side.

_Allen…is sure dark._ Lavi shivered.

* * *

**Is anyone interested in a AU highschool DGM fic with OC Dem? If I write it would you read it? You see, there ain't not much highschool fic for DGM out there and with the fandom dying and being destroyed by the mangaka (you'll know what I'm talking about if you read chapter 199-201) DGM isn't that popular anymore. TAT But I still love it.**

**Anyways, if you are interested tell me via the poll on my profile. And also I need ideas, if you have any, please help by telling me! Thank you!**

**Now for the bonus section…**

* * *

*Bonus Section*

_Interview with all the main characters…_

_Kami:_ Welcome, all the main casts, to the DGM Interview! For FFnet format reasons, please keep in mind not to say the full name of the anime but to abbreviate it to DGM. Thank you.

_Lenalee: _Hello everyone, I am Lenalee. *waves and smiles like a lady*

_Lavi:_ Why can't we say -man?

_Kami:_ Because it will turn out like '-man'… like it just did.

_Allen: _What? Where? How do you know the name of the anime anyway?

_Kanda:_ Tch. Stupid bean sprout, it's written on the wall behind us!

_Allen: *_Turns around to see DGM logo_* _Oh, right! Um…Let me see what it says. *Squint* D…C…Rap…man! D-C-Rap-Man! Yeah

_Desdemona:_ *raises eyebrows* D. Crap-man?

_Allen: _Huh? What crap?

_Kanda:_ Tch

_Lenalee: _*frown* Guys!

_Kami:_ Ok, ok! Guys! Let's get on with the interview. *coughs into hand* First of all, can you guys tell me what do you like to do during your free time?

_Lenalee: _I like helping my brother and everyone else in the Order. They are like family to me.

_Lavi:_ AAHHH! LENALEE! AM I ALSO LIKE FAMILY TO YOU?

_Lenalee:_ Yes, you all are like family to me. (^_^)

_Kanda: _Tch.

_Allen:_ Aren't you glad Komui's not here?

_Desdemona:_ I'd rather Komui to be here, he'd get rid of this rabbit in no time.

_Kanda: _Tch.

_Allen: _Is that all you can say? *narrow eyes*

_Kanda: _Tch! Stupid bean sprout!

_Kami_: *whisper to Lenalee* Is 'Tch' the only thing Kanda can say?

_Lenalee:_ *sweatdrop*

_Allen: _Ba-Kanda!

*Allen & Kanda death glare at each other with electricity sparks flowing through*

_Kami:_ That's enough, guys. *sigh* Now, Allen, a question for you. Fans ask do you think shock can serve as a better alternative to hair bleaching, since you do not damage the quality of your hair and it works instantaneously?

_Allen: _Um…er… *to Lavi* What is she talking about?

_Lavi:_ *shrugs*

_Kami: _Fine, next question, I had no idea what that meant either. For Kanda, there are two questions for you. As a popular request from fangirls, what brand of shampoo do you use?

_Kanda:_ That annoying mangaka already asked me and I think I already told them, soap.

_Kami:_ What brand of soap, then?

_Kanda:_ I don't know! Whatever the Order puts in the bathrooms.

_Desdemona:_ It's made by a corporation called Pantene-dove-herbalessense-headnshoulder-detol-growlotsahair-dot-com.

_Kanda:_ How do you know that?

_Desdemona:_ It's written on the soap, don't you know?

_Kanda:_ Tch.

_Kami:_ Right…Another popular request, possibly the most popular question, from fangirls for Kanda. What do you think about the recent anime No. 6 and it's close resemblance to you and Allen? What do you think about the Yullen Fandom?

_Kanda:_ *death glare*

_Allen_: *Activates Innocence*

_Kami:_ *Shudder* Forget I said that. Question for Lavi, can you take off your eyepatch?

_Lavi:_ Why, sure! *Takes off eye patch…to reveal another eye patch* (Naruto Kakashi parody)

_Kami_: …...Lenalee! The only one who answers properly, please tell me how would you and your brother react to your many male fans out there?

_Lenalee:_ … um…I didn't think I would have fans…*smile*

*Many fans in the studio start shooting love hearts at Lenalee*

_Desdemona:_ *sweatdrop*

_Kami: _Dem! There's been a question submitted anonymously by one of the interviewees. It asks, why do you like chocolate and liquorice that much?

_Desdemona:_ I don't know.

_Kami:*sweatdrop*_ … Finally the last question! For everyone, do you think the readers should review more?

_Desdemona:_ *pulls out data* According to statistics, out of 100 readers, only 2 review.

_Lavi:_ That is an incredibly small amount of people. *nods*

_Allen:_ Are you sure it's not because you suck? *looking sceptical*

_Kami:_ I don't know, they don't tell me that I suck either…*bury head into hands*

_Kanda:_ *Death Glares audience/reader* You! Review! If you don't, this stupid Kami is not going to SHUT UP. And if you don't review and she doesn't SHUT UP, I'll kill her myself and you will not get another chapter update from her ever again!

_Kami:_ *whisper* I don't think that threat will work!

_Kanda:_ SHUT UP!

_All:_ REVIEW!

By clicking the button below

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	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.

Special Thanks To **Xx. Envy Wrath .Xx**, **EyesofTCN**, **Crimson .light .of .Death**, **Anonymous Reviewer, Variation on Ink, PurplePunkette, iloveme264, The Puppeteer Master, CelmY, Kagehana013, Centillion, Purplepunkette, The Puppeteer Master, AustralianGypsy, Sin, and all of those who faved or subscribed :D**

After many edits…this has now become chapter 7

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

"_Next, is our wonderful beast tamer, Bidelia!" Cosmo announced, the audience applauded as Bidelia stepped up to the stage. She waved at the audience, her coil of whip in hand. "Today she will be performing with our best tiger, captured and brought in from India, Kugar!"_

_Mony and Chase rushed over to the ramp going to the stage. They hauled on a rope next to the cage containing a ferocious tiger. The metal bars at the entrance of the ramp lifted. _

_Mony then climbed above the cage with a ladder, locating a metal hook dangling in the air and hooked it on the top bar of the mobile side of the cage. _

_After several more ropes were pulled, the tiger had a clear path from its cage, through the ramp and onto the stage. It paced cautiously onto the ramp. Chase then slowly released the rope he was holding and the door at the bottom of the ramp closed._

_As Kugar slowly paced onto the stage, the audience cheered. Bidelia stretched out her whip and cracked it, catching the trained tiger's attention. Knowing exactly what to do, the tiger sat down obediently beside its trainer. The audience cheered again, this time, for Bidelia. The woman in black leather raised her hand and the tiger rose to its feet. She began walking and the tiger followed. She paced the circumference of the circle, granting the audience a closer view of the beast._

_When Kugar passed, several children and ladies in the front row let out little squeals. Most men leaned forward and opened their eyes wide in amazement. Several gentlemen pulled out their monocles._

_Bidelia led Kugar to the center of the stage when it finished its tour. She discreetly chucked it a piece of raw meat that she picked up while touring the stage from the little bucket on the side. Some backstage worker rolled two hoops onto the stage. Bidelia skilfully caught them and lifted them up to the air. A small unnoticeable hook dangled from the ceiling. Bidelia hooked one of the hoops onto the hook and it hung in mid-air. She then led Kugar to a red rounded stand with yellow stars on it. The tiger hopped onto the stand and waited patiently._

_Bidelia lifted the other hoop in her hand in between Kugar and the hanging hoop and cracked her whip. The tiger perked up, it braced itself on its hind legs and leaped off the stand, its powerful hind legs propelling it forward. It leaped through the first and the second hoops and landed gracefully and soundlessly on the other side. The audience cheered and clapped loudly. Bidelia bowed to the audience while slipping another piece of meat to Kugar._

_The tiger bounded back and sat on the stand, waiting for further instructions._

_Bidelia's performance was brilliant, Mony and Chase watched the entire duration of her part of the performance through the bars of the ramps. The audience cheered and clapped like crazy, Bidelia definitely got the loudest applause out of everyone else that performed that night._

_The time soon came when Kugar needed to return to its cage. Mony and Chase wheeled the empty cage from one ramp to another. They first hauled a rope on the other side of the ramp, the barred gate of the 'exit' ramp lifted open. Bidelia prompted Kugar to get into the gate from the stage. Once Kugar was in, the two released the rope and the gate closed behind the tiger._

_After a similar process to before, hauling many ropes and hooking many hooks, the tiger returned back to its cage._

_The rest of the performance didn't require the two to do much, other than Cosmo's own equestrian performance which required 'Prince', Cosmo's beloved horse. It was not the best part of the performance, and yet the ringleader insisted on 'saving the best for last', so therefore performing his show last and ending the day with it._

_After performing each night, what follows was always dinner. The Masters (main performers) were seated at the long table in the middle of the dinning tent. Each side seated about four performers with the ringleader, Cosmo, at the head of the table. The rest of the staff were seated at small benches at the side. Despite being family members to one of the Masters, Chase and Mony still had to be seated on the side._

_The two errand boys served everyone their dinner. One of them was the one who went to retrieve Jugo's hat for him earlier._

_Chase and Mony sat next to each other in the corner. The two errand boys ran in and out of the tent, getting food from the cook's tent and brought them to the Masters._

_Mony swung her legs back and forth, her feet barely touched the ground. Chase folded his arms above his head and clasped his hands behind to support his head. "Ah! So hungry! I wonder what's for dinner tonight!" he said care-freely._

_Mony sniffed the air and replied, "Probably steak."_

"_Pft." Chase rolled his eyes and smacked Mony playfully on the head. "Stop dreaming girl! They would never give us steak!"_

_Mony rubbed the back of her head and gave a childish pout. Just as she was about to hit the male back on his head, a shadow loomed over the girl and the light of the candles sitting on the main table was blocked from her view. She looked up to see the new errand boy with spiky brown hair. He had in his hands two plates of food. He looked down on Mony with half-closed eyes, seemingly bored and uninterested. The pout and his down-turned lips never disappeared. The errand boy let out an impatient breath from the corner of his mouth and held out his left arm roughly, literally shoving the plate of food under Mony's nose. That was the first time Mony realized that his left hand was red, bright red, like blood, and he seemed to be unable to move the fingers properly. _

_Mony's head drew back and she blinked in surprised at the plate. She then realized that the boy was giving her her dinner. She took the plate from him and he still had a fork and a knife remaining in his left hand. She hesitantly took the metal knife and fork from him, "Thank you." She muttered. The boy replied with some sort of a grunt._

_The errand boy passed Chase his share of food in his right hand and the cutlery and walked away. Mony stared after him, lost in her curiosity and imagination. She was brought back to reality by tugs on the plate she was holding. She looked down to see Chase trying to take the plate away from her. Instinctively, she lightly slapped Chase's hand. "Hey! Don't touch! It's my dinner, you've got yours!"_

_Chase lifted his hands in front of him in defence. "No, no, no. You've got it wrong. That boy, he gave you your dinner with his left hand, right? Well, rumour is, his left hand is cursed. You saw that blood red colour, it's not normal." Chase took the chance when Mony had her guard down and took her plate. "Just in case it's true, give me that plate and you can have mine." The older boy did a swap of the two plates. Mony stared in confusion._

_Suddenly, Chase took out a strand of garlic, a wooden cross and a weird necklace of wooden beads. The boy put the strand of garlic on his dinner, held the cross in his right and the beads in his left, chanting some incomprehensible words._

_"What are you doing?" Mony asked with her brows furrowed._

_"I'm lifting the curse." Chase said with a very serious expression. In her head, Mony thougth he sounded more like he was practicing a satanic ritual._

_When he was done chanting, he dug into his food like he hadn't eaten anything for a month. Mony stared, still recovering from the confusion. She looked down her plate and was about to start eating when Chase seemed to have remembered something. He straightened up from his previous bent over position over his food, pulled Mony's cutlery out from her hand and shoved his own used ones into her empty hand. He started chanting and then devouring his food again._

_Mony held up the cutlery and looked at Chase in disbelief. He lifted his head temporarily as he felt her stare. "Eat." He stated bluntly and nodded to her food. She reluctantly obeyed. Dinner was plain pasta, broccoli, carrots and a myriad of unrecognizable things chucked into a soup._

* * *

Desdemona stretched, holding her arms high above her head as if wanting to touch the sky. Birds flied overhead, heading towards their homes. The setting sunlight reflected off the clouds, tinting the sky orange, red, pink and in some places, purple.

The Eurasian exorcist bent down and picked up her small suitcase at her feet.

They were in Moscow, after the long train ride they finally arrived. Sol seemed to be enjoying it, returning to his home country, that is. When the train passed through the fields and the countryside, he would tell many tales about the scenery and the villages nearby. Tina always told him to shut up, to which he never listens.

Night was falling; the three exorcists and a finder went to find an inn to stay for the night before catching another train tomorrow morning. They exited the station to find an empty street. The blinds were drawn on every single window. There were definitely people in those houses, the slight rustling of the blinds and the movements from behind the curtains are evident. As the team of four walked down the street, people peeked through the blinds cautiously and stared at the incomers.

The elongated shadows of trees, buildings and birds landed across the floor. Fallen leaves skidded across the ground as a cold breeze blew past.

A building with the sign 'Inn' stood at the end of the street. The exorcists and finder went into the building. A thin old woman sat behind a desk in the lobby. She looked up nervously from behind thick-frames glasses and rose from her chair. "Um…How may I help you?" She asked timidly in Russian.

"Four rooms please." Sol replied fluently.

The old woman took four keys from a panel of keys on hooks behind the desk. She took with her also a candle from the desk and walked up the stairs to the right. The four followed. Sol decided to strike up a conversation, "Why is there no one about at this time of the night?"

The old lady looked nervously back at the tall Russian man, "Dear guests, haven't you heard? Monsters had been appearing at night quite frequently these past few days. They have destroyed many homes and even killed a few. Those who were killed didn't even have a corpse. Witnesses say the victims just broke down to dust. No one dares going out at night any more. Even within the safety of our homes, we cannot feel safe as those monsters can easily take down rows of houses."

Sol looked back at his team, the others seemed to have understood and exchanged messages with their eyes. Desdemona quizzically looked at Sol. Even though she travelled all around Europe, her talent with languages was nil. Other than English (her birth language) she only knew the basics of other more frequently visited European countries. Russian was a language she had no knowledge about.

The Russian man noticed the young girl's blank looks and explained, "Akuma attacks."

Desdemona nodded.

They were given their rooms and the keys. The Inn Owner was kind enough to provide dinner. She said that it was too dangerous for anyone to go outside at this time so she'll prepare them dinner to spare them the need to go to another restaurant. Over dinner, the exorcists argued whether or not to go out and exterminate the akumas for the townspeople.

"They will live in fear if we don't do something!" Sol exclaimed, he was very passionate about his home country and its residents.

"There is the possibility that those akumas don't even know Master Klaud is in Russia! If they find out that three exorcists are here together they'll become suspicious!" An equally passionate Tina refuted.

"But these people! Aren't we exorcists supposed to help people? Aren't we exorcists supposed to destroy akumas?" Sol asked back.

"Keep in sight of what is important, Sol! If they found out Master is in Russia their force will get to Master before we do. Akumas are everywhere, Sol, but exorcists aren't everywhere! If we lose our Generals, the Order will be like a headless fly!"

"I believe Master will not be defeated by those mere akumas. There's no way she'll just be defeated like that. Why would the akumas suddenly start attacking and coincidentally, happen to be in Russia and also around the same time as we arrive? Isn't that a bit too coincidental? They already know, so we do not need to hold back. We should help these people and destroy those akumas!"

"If they really knew Master was in Russia, then we mustn't dwell here, we must get to Master without any delays!"

The redhead female and the Russian male glared at each other. It was the older Frenchwoman that made the final decision.

"Alright, you guys, stop fighting." All eyes turned to Gwen, "What about this. We will stay here until tomorrow morning when we will catch the next train. During this time, if there are any akuma attacks, we will help the people fend those akumas off. If the akumas don't attack then we must get going by morning. We will not stay here just to help these people." Gwen scanned the faces of the people present. Dissatisfaction showed clearly on the faces of the previously arguing two. Gwen raised an eyebrow, "Is everyone fine with that?"

"Yes." Sol agreed unwillingly.

"Tch." Tina rolled her eyes. Sol glared at her and she glared back.

Gwen noticed this and sighed at the two sitting opposite her. She turned to the younger girl sitting next to her. "And you?"

The girl who was concentrating on her food looked up innocently and pointed at herself as if to say, "Me?" Gwen nodded. The girl blinked several times before answering with a shrug, "Anything's fine."

Gwen, satisfied with the answers nodded and smiled to herself.

* * *

_After dinner, Chase and Mony had to clean up along with the errand boys and the kitchen staff. Plate after plate, cutlery after cutlery they washed and wiped. Only Mony and Chase talked as the other two were both not the social type._

_When the dishes were nearly done, Mony went to the dinning tent to clean up and wipe down the main table and sweep the floor. _

_While she was doing all that in the empty dinning tent, a man stepped out from the shadows and quietly entered the tent, approaching the girl who was facing her back to him._

_Mony suddenly felt a large shadow blocking the light. She turned around, broom in hand, to see a large round man. Cosmo the ringleader stood behind her. He had dirty blond hair cut carefully into shape. The man's cloudy blue eyes stared coldly down at the little girl. He still had on his costume: a dress shirt, a colorful tie, black tail coat, black pants and a top hat. Under the shadow of the brim of his top hat, his eyes looked colder, more piercing and seemed to glow._

"_Desdemona." He pronounced the name slowly, adding a sharp edge to every single syllable. Mony flinched. He was the only one to call her by her full name. She didn't like it. "May I ask why Prince was not properly groomed for today's show?"_

"_Sir," Mony replied, "Chase and I had taken extra care in grooming and feeding Prince. May I ask what was wrong with it?"_

"_What was wrong with IT? Scums like you aren't fitted to call my Prince 'it'! To you, it's 'he' and 'he' only. No one within this world may look down upon him with 'it'!" Cosmo angrily spat._

"_Yes Sir." Mony agreed obediently._

"_And I'll tell you what was wrong with HIM! Everything's wrong about him! And all because of you and your scum of a brother the audience did not applaud for me much as I'd liked!"_

_Something in Cosmo's words struck a nerve in Mony. A flash of sudden murderous intent appeared in her eyes, but it disappeared as fast as they had come. She stood there, head lowered and stared at the floor, the broom still in her hand._

"_Yeah? Not saying anything now, are we?" Cosmo smirked, "Well, I see that you admit to not taking good care of my Prince." A sneer appeared on his face._

"_Mony." The two people from within the tent turned their face towards the entrance. A smile of relief adorned the girl's face while the man wore a scowl._

_Bidelia looked into the tent with a feigned innocent expression. Everyone knew Cosmo was abusive to the younger ones. He gets jealous of performers who were better than him. The jealousy became anger, and the anger was released with the pleasure of hurting others. Bidelia knew well that Chase and Mony often gets picked on when she's not around. All she could really do was to try to be by their sides as much as possible._

_Cosmo subtly moved away from the little girl. He cleared his throat and held his head up high while he walked out from the tent._

_Bidelia stared after the man warily, when he was out of sight, she quickly walked over to the young girl. She knelt down on one knee in front of her face her at the same level._

_The girl was still holding the broom in her hand while smiling up at the older woman. Bidelia smiled back and brushed a piece of stray hair behind the girl's ear. "Are you alright?"_

_Mony nodded._

_Bidelia sighed in relief._

_The girl beamed optimistically, "Don't worry, Bidelia. We can look after ourselves and we are not afraid of Cosmo! Haha! Look at him running away with his tail between his legs just then!" She flashed a big smile._

_Bidelia smiled and stood up, gesturing the girl to follow her out of the tent._

_Mony followed behind cheerily. "Bidelia! Bidelia! Remember that new errand boy? Chase said his left arm is cursed! At dinner he started chanting weird things and said he was lifting the curse on his food!" The girl said with exaggerated hand gestures._

_Bidelia laughed. Her daughter is very cute._

_"Bidelia, do you remember what the name of that new errand boy was again?"_

"_Which one?"_

"_The one I just talked about!"_

"_Um…" Bidelia thought for a while before looking up and replied with uncertainty. "Was it…Red?"_

* * *

_Thora. Activate to Level 2. Power type._

She jumped, an effortless leap that took her far into the sky. The weightlessness was quite hard to get used to.

Thora, when activated at Level 1, acquires great speed, flexibility and accuracy. It can extend and contract to will. However, it only causes minimum damage. At Level 2, the leather becomes thicker; small spikes appear; the agility, speed and accuracy decrease but with an increase in damage.

Since the speed and agility decreases, Desdemona herself had to compensate for what's lost. That's why every time Level 2 is activated, she dumps her heels. Plus, being fast also gives her advantages in battle.

She flipped in mid-air, head down and feet up. She twisted her body and arms in an anti-clockwise direction before thrusting out Thora and her arms in the other direction, making herself spin at a high speed. Using the momentum of the spinning motion and gravity, she fell towards the ground as a small hurricane. The one strike took out 5 or so Level 1 akumas. She landed back on ground with a greatly disturbed sense of balance.

The akumas did attack tonight after all. Sol was quite eager to get into battle. To minimize the casualties, the exorcists had moved the battlegrounds to the forest outside of the town rather than within the town itself.

Gwen was on a roll, taking out 10 or more Level 1s with each strike, scorching them with her fire. Tina had changed her bullet, it was now able to pierce through several akumas with only one bullet. So convenient. Sol was somewhere unseen. Being a defensive type, he preferred not to be near combat. His powers were close though, the invisible barrier that reflected all the attacks from the akumas.

The amount of enemies were appalling, since when were there so many akumas? Thora strikes again, taking out another 5.

The battle seemed to go on into eternity; the akumas just kept on coming in an endless flow.

After nearly all the Level 1s were taken out, three Level 2s appeared. Tina fired an explosive bullet and took one out before anyone got a good look at it. The other two laughed maniacally. "You can't help the General now, can you? Hehehehe!"

One smirked sarcastically, "Oh, what a shame. You are so close too! Ahahaha!"

Gwen frowned. The akumas already knew the General's whereabouts? She sent two fire balls at the remaining Level 1s, taking out about 5 with 3 left. Desdemona took out one of the remaining three and Tina finished the last two. That only leaves the two remaining Level 2s to take care of.

One of the Level 2 was wrapped from head to toe with bandages. Its face was covered by what seemed like a gas mask. On its chest, a face full of agony protruded out from the bandage, it was the same 'Level 1 face' all akumas had somewhere on their body. The other one was in shiny golden armour.

The sound of leaking gas came from the masked one, a thin white fog flowed out from within its mask. The whiteness soon took over the exorcists' vision, making it impossible to see. Desdemona tensed, she looked around to see if she could at least see the vague shapes of the enemies but all she could see was white. Seemed like sight was useless, she had to rely on her hearing.

Suddenly, her golem started to vibrate. It struggled out from her uniform and flew next to her head. Tina's voice crackled, "_I can't see anything. Are you and Gwen OK?_"

"I'm fine. I can't see Gwen." Desdemona replied, "Have the fog affected you too?"

"_No, I am far enough for the fog to not reach me, but the enemy concealed themselves within it. I can't just shoot randomly into the fog, it might hit you or Gwen and then the bullets will come back and hit me._"

The golem crackled again as Gwen and Sol joined into the conversation. "_Dem, where are you?_" Gwen's worried voice said.

"There's no way of describing my location to you. I don't even know where you are." The girl answered.

"_Did you move from the spot you were before the fog came?_" Gwen continued to question.

"No."

"_Ok, then I think I have a vague idea of where you are. Stay there, don't move!_" Footsteps were then heard as Gwen manoeuvred blindly in the fog.

"_Gwen! You shouldn't move. We have no idea where the enemy is!_" Tina said.

"_Guys,_" Sol interrupted, heavy breaths were audible over the golems, "_I'm sorry, this is not the best time to say this but…_" Sol managed out through heavy breaths. "_I think I can't keep the Reflective up for long, I think I need to downgrade it to the Physical Barrier._"

"_ Sol! Gwen and Dem are in the mist, we can't see them and we have no idea where the enemy is and you are complaining about how you can't keep the Reflective up?_" Tina accused.

"_I already said! I'm sorry! It takes a lot out of me, alright? I've been wanting to switch since a while ago and lasting until now was already a great effort!_" Sol retorted, still panting, "_and plus, if anyone was to complain it would be Gwen and Dem, not you Tina!_"

"It's fine." Desdemona said. "Just a Physical barrier now is fine."

"_Dem…_" Sol breathed.

"_She's right,_" Gwen agreed, "_You only put up the Reflective so that more akuma can get taken out back then right? But it's unnecessary now, there are only two of them. We can manage with just the Physical Barrier. Plus, then Tina could start shooting randomly into the mist._"

"_But…"_ Sol started.

"_No, that's not what I was talking about!_" Tina cut in, "_When he downgrades-_"

"_Tina! Let me finish!_" Sol shouted, frustrated, "_Listen, you two. You need to think carefully about this. When I downgrade my barrier, there'll be a ten second time span when you will not have any barrier to protect you. Are you sure about this?_"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Ten seconds is short enough." Desdemona said.

Gwen sighed and chose to ignore the girl, "Sol, quickly change the barrier now. We can't afford to lose time."

"Yes."

Desdemona looked around her, the thin, invisible but rainbow coloured layer disappeared.

10…

Paranoia suddenly kicked in. The young exorcist seemed to hear noises from behind her. She spun around quickly to see nothing.

9…

Footsteps, she can hear footsteps from the left. She stretched out Thora in both hands, ready to strike.

8…

A ghostly silhouette appeared from the fog. Desdemona took a small step backwards. The silhouette had its arms outstretched in front of it, as if trying to find something.

7…

It's coming closer and closer. The girl decides to strike before whatever it is does. She charged.

6…

_Dang. _Thora made contact with something hard. Desdemona squinted to try and figure out what it is. The familiar smell of burnt metal hit her nose before she realized the hard thing that Thora made contact with was Gwen's pan.

5…

Desdemona lowered Thora, Gwen lowered her pan. "Gwe-"

"Shh."

4…

They stood back to back, guarding each other's blind spot.

3…

No sign from the enemies, it's getting suspicious. Why haven't the enemy attacked yet?

2…

Desdemona felt something shift behind her. She turned her head and tried to see what going on, "Gwen…"

1…

A sharp stab of pain shot up from the left side of her rib cage, she let out a small scream. She instinctively thrashed Thora out behind her, missing the enemy completely.

0

The enemy was sprung away by the Physical Barrier that was now in place. Desdemona clutched a hand to the left side of her ribs, warm liquid gushed out from her wound. There was a deep gash just above the last rib bone and more blood poured out for every breath she took.

"_Dem!_" Sol and Tina said in unison. "_Are you hurt?_" Sol added.

"I'm fine."

"_That's good._" Came Tina's relieved voice.

"_Wait, what? What's wrong?_" Gwen asked, confused. "_Dem, you are just behind me, right?_"

Desdemona's eyes widened. "Becareful!"

Through the golems, the team heard the sound of metal against metal. "_Who are you?_" Gwen said to the attacker.

"_Hehehehe_." The laugh of the akuma was as ear-piercing as ever, even through the golem. "_This is my partner's ability_." Gwen watched as who she thought was Desdemona morphed into the armoured Level 2 from before. With the blink of an eye, it was gone again.

"_Phew, that was close_." Gwen said, slightly relieved.

"Sol! How come the akuma managed to get so close to Gwen?" Desdemona asked.

"_Er… didn't I tell you guys?_" Sol sounded nervous, "_I can only downgrade one barrier at a time. I did your one first, and I only started Gwen's just then. So it'll be done in about 3…2…1…Done!_"

"_YOU DIDN'T TELL THEM YOU IDIOT!" _Tina's raging voice rang out from the golem. Desdemona had to jerk her head away to prevent Tina's voice from doing permanent damage to her ears.

"Gyahahaha! You have underestimated my ability!" A voice which must belong to the bandaged akuma came through the thick fog. Desdemona turned her head to the voice, it must indicate the enemy's location. She whipped Thora in the direction where the voice came and it hit nothing other than the ground.

"Gyahahaha! It's no use! You can't find me!" The akuma taunted. This time the voice came from the exact opposite direction from the previous time. "This is my ability! You are not going to get out from my mist alive! Gyahahaha!"

"My partner's ability is such a handy one to have!" the akuma that attacked both Desdemona and Gwen said, a bit enviously. "As long as you are in his mist, you will continue to be fooled by the illusions within it. These illusions appear, disappear and change according to my partner's will! You will never be able to tell the truth from the illusion!"

"Hey! You just revealed my ability!" the bandaged akuma said.

"Who cares! They won't be alive to tell other people anyway."

"True, but that is only if you do your part correctly."

"Yes, partner!"

"_Everyone, listen._" Gwen said. "_ The bandaged akuma has the ability to cast illusions. The other akuma, I suppose is in charge of the offense. The illusion combined with the physical form of the armoured one makes it hard to distinguish. Sol, even when you can feel two barriers coming close enough to merge into one, do not merge them."_

"_Yes." Sol replied._

"_Dem, do not trust anything you see, just attack everything even if it's me. With the barrier there, your attacks won't reach me."_

"…"

"_Dem?"_

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. I understand." Desdemona hurriedly replied.

"_Oh, and Tina?_" Gwen added, "_You can start shooting randomly into the mist._"

"_Understood._" The sound of a musket being loaded came as soon as Tina finished her word.

Desdemona stood up from her kneeling position. Dizziness came over her and her eyes temporarily blacked out. She kept her right hand over the gash but she was losing more and more blood. She needed to end this quickly. Huh, and she was the one who said ten seconds were short.

The mist was able to create illusions, which means you can't trust even your own senses. Directional sense being one of them. There was no hope of getting out of the mist by walking in one direction since you wouldn't even know if you are actually walking in only one direction. Digging down below was also an option. Desdemona suddenly recalled that the gas which came out from the akuma's mouth descended onto the ground rather than floating upwards, which meant that it was heavier than air. If she digs downwards, the gas will also follow her down, messing with her sensory organs. That leaves only one way to get out. Up. Since the gas falls to the ground, there must be a certain height above ground that it stops.

"One more thing," Desdemona added, "Tina, or Sol, can someone tell me how far above ground does the mist reach?"

"_Same height as the trees."_ Tina answered.

_As high as the tree…_Desdemona did a small calculation in her head. Would she be able to jump that high? Worth a try anyway. She crouched down, slowly to avoid more dizziness. She took a deep breath and pushed off the ground with all the strength her legs could manage. She sailed up through the mist, her eyes blacked out again.

When she regained her vision, she was able to see a bit of the trees through the thinner mist. Nearly there. Just a bit more.

A second later, the mist cleared from her vision and she was looking down at a large white spherical shape amongst the green trees. It was sunrise already, the forest was more of an orange tint than green. Without knowing, they've been fighting for half the night already.

Her ears perked up as they caught metallic sounds coming from above her. She snapped her head up. The armoured akuma charged at her with gravity by its side. In its hands, it held a large sword with a giant ornate hilt. On the blade, there was fresh blood.

The akuma lifted the sword above its head and slashed down at Desdemona. The barrier stopped the blade from reaching her but it cancelled out the momentum from her jump and she started to fall down again.

Just before the mist blocked out her vision, she saw a rain of glowing dots approaching the akuma at a high speed. Tina's bullets. Milliseconds later, a bright orange flashed from where the akuma was and it exploded into bits. Well, that was what it sounded like anyway. Desdemona hit the ground, another wave of sharp pain came from her left side and more blood trickled out from between her fingers.

It was bad, really bad. She had been pushing her stamina to its limits, and now this.

"Oh! Stupid! Who told him to get killed so easily?" the bandaged akuma complained. There was no remorse or sadness in its voice; instead, there was only annoyance. "You, girly!"

For some reason, Desdemona knew the akuma was talking to her.

"Quite troublesome, aren't you? Even with a cut like that. Hm…seems like my stupid dead partner didn't cut you deep enough. Gyahahaha!" the akuma laughed again.

"_Dem! You're injured?_" Gwen exclaimed.

"I'm fine." The girl replied.

"_Stop saying you're fine! You've been saying these exact words over and over now!"_ Gwen accused.

"I wouldn't say that's fine, girly. That gash is flooding out some great amount of blood." The akuma said with feigned concern.

Desdemona examined her wound. There was already a small pool of blood on the ground beneath her. She quickly rolled up her uniform sleeve and tore off part of the sleeve of her white shirt. She then tore it in such a fashion so that it turns out like a long strip of bandage. She hastily wrapped it around her ribs to stop the bleeding.

"Well, what am I going to do now?" the akuma said to itself, "I don't like physical combat..."

Something dark stood out from the whiteness from the corner of Desdemona's eye. She turned her head and saw many sickly green tendrils of gas flowing between the white gas. She quickly moved away from the unknown green gas.

The akuma laughed, "What about some poison now? I don't think that barrier of yours is going to block gas."

She looked back over her shoulder, the green tendrils were advancing from behind too. More and more green replaced the white, surrounding the exorcist from all directions. The girl watched as the green gas penetrated the barrier, she hurriedly lifted an arm and covered her lower face with it.

"Aahahahaha! You can't escape now! Ahaha! You're gonna die! Aha! Ha! HAhaha!" The akuma laughed maniacally, enjoying the scene before it. "I shouldn't tell you this, but you're going to die here anyway. The Earl's force has already headed for Primorsky, they will arrive there shortly. In fact, they are approaching the city right now as we speak. You can't save your Master now, can you?" the akuma cracked up again, as if their despair was greatly amusing.

"_They are already heading there?_" Tina said angrily.

"_Tina,_" Gwen was calmer, "_How high above ground does the mist reach now?_"

"_Still at the height of the trees_," Tina answered.

"_Ok, Dem, listen,_" Gwen said, "_I want you to try what you did before again. Now that the other akuma is gone and the remaining one hates confrontation, there shouldn't be anyone blocking your way._"

Desdemona listened and considered the option. There may not be anyone to block her way but she herself may not be able to jump that high again. As the dizziness from the lack of blood gradually increased in intensity, she continued to hold her breath which only made it worse. "I'll try."

Desdemona crouched down to prepare for the jump. She looked up to the seemingly endless mist. Whatever Gwen's planning, Desdemona didn't know. The only thing she does know was that she can't fail them now. She already got herself injured which will cause a great deal of trouble for the others.

She jumped, and just like the time before, she shot out from the top of the mist. At the top of her ascent, she quickly surveyed the area around her and spotted a tree slightly taller than the others. Its top branch stuck above the mist. Desdemona thrust out Thora at Level 1, it wrapped around the branch and contracted just as Desdemona started to fall. Thora pulled her towards the tree and she landed unsteadily upon the branch. She took a deep breath of relief.

"Gwen, I'm out." She said to the golem.

"_You guys head to Primorsky now. I'll catch up later._" Gwen replied.

"What? But Gwen..." Desdemona started.

"_I'll stay with you._" Sol offered.

"_No, you guys go! The akumas are already heading there! You have to get there before they do! Hurry! Sol, there's not much use for you to stay anyway. Your barriers aren't useful against the gas. Guys, go! Go now._" Gwen urged.

"_Let's go. A mere Level 2 is no match for Gwen._" Tina decided. "_Gwen! Take care!_

Desdemona heard the rustling of tree leaves through the golem, signalling Tina and Sol's departures. She then followed Tina and Sol, jumping from branch to branch to head towards the town.

Gwen looked up. Now that the kid stopping her from using _that_ was gone, she could easily scatter the gas. She closed her eyes, holding her Innocence out in front of her. A small, spherical shape, shinning red appeared at the centre of the pan. It gradually grew in size until it filled the entire capacity of the weapon. Slowly, the ball of burning energy rose out from the pan and floated upwards until it stopped a few meters above Gwen.

"RELEASE!" Gwen yelled, opening her eyes. Beams of light shot out from the floating sphere as if the energy within was gushing out from the cracks in its container. Then it exploded, lighting the surrounding air up in fire. The explosion was large, large enough that the heat waves from the explosion drove away the heavy poisonous gas.

Gwen stood where she was, unharmed. She could have used this move before, but it could have also fried the kid. She looked around, finally able to see her surroundings clearly. Most of the poison was scattered but there were still patches of thin gas here and there. The akuma was lying, slightly burnt, on the ground several metres in front of Gwen.

"Gyahahaha! Damn you exorcists!" The akuma laughed. Gwen stared. "You think you can still hurry and save your Master? The Lord is coming! You can't stand up against a Noah! Gyahahaha!"

Gwen brought her weapon down on the akuma, it became dust. As she pondered on the akuma's last words, she turned to the direction of the town and planned to chase after them. She only took three steps before she was stopped by the sudden appearance of a glowing irregular polygonal panel in front of her. The panel was soon joined by another one, and another one, and another one. It grew until there was about five or six panels. They were not connected to each other but was placed that there was only a space of about 5cm between their edges. It was arranged so it stood vertically from the ground.

Suddenly, an elbow protruded from the top panel. Gwen took a step backwards in shock. Gradually, the elbow extended out and the upper half body of a young man appeared. The man held up his left hand to stabilize his top hat. Curly black hair framed his dark face and a row of pointy crosses were located at his forehead. Slowly, he walked out from the glowing panels and they disappeared without a trace.

"My, my. Russia now, are we?" the man took off his hat and ran a gloved hand through his hair. He then placed the hat back onto his head.

"Who are you?" Gwen questioned.

The man tilted his head towards Gwen, as if he just noticed her existence. "Oh? Another exorcist? What's your name?" He reached into his pocket and took out a playing card.

"Who are you?" Gwen said again. She reached behind her back and took out her frying pan, activating it in the process.

"Lord Tyki Mikk," the man answered. He lowered the brim of his hat and peered at the exorcist, "of the Noah clan."

Gwen charged. She swung her weapon at Tyki. Tyki dodged to the side. "Exorcist, this is your last chance. What is your name?"

Gwen twisted around and sent a fireball at the Noah. The fire went straight through Tyki. Gwen stood wide-eyed.

Tyki sighed impatiently. "Exorcist, since you won't tell me your name..." he took out three blood-stained silver pocket watches from his pocket. He dangled it on his index finger and smiled down at them. Gwen recognized the Order's silver pocket watches that were assigned to each exorcist with their names engraved at the back. _This man..._

Tyki looked up at the Frenchwomen with a sickly smile. "It leaves me with no choice."

* * *

"_Ka...k-ka..chhh.."_ Tina, Sol and Desdemona sat at the train station, waiting for the train that will take them to Primorsky, where their Master is. The three of them sat silently, listening to the black golem.

They had been trying to contact Gwen for a whole hour now, but all they could ever hear were static noises.

The three pondered over what they should do. The train comes in 30 minutes. If they miss this one, the next one is not until two days later. By then, it would be too late; the akumas would almost certainly have arrived at Primorsky. The chance of Gwen showing up within 30 minutes was quite small and the chance of trying to contact her via her golem was even smaller. The only thing left to do was to head back and look for her themselves, but who knows if another round of akuma attack would hold them back and cause them to miss the train?

Sol suddenly leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees with his head in between his hands. He let out a frustrated sigh and madly scratched at his head. He then quickly and forcefully stood up and faced the other two exorcists. "It is entirely my fault. I shouldn't have made you help the town. I'll go find Gwen by myself. If I don't come back before the train arrives, you two go ahead to Master. Gwen and I will come later." The rash male turned and ran back to the forest.

Tina instantly stood up, trying to go after Sol, only to be stopped by Desdemona suddenly grabbing in her coat. She turned around.

"I'll come with you." Desdemona offered.

Tina shook her head. "I'll go by myself. Someone needs to stay here. If we don't make it back, you head over by yourself."

"Then you stay."

"That won't work. Sol and I studied under Master for a long time together. We went on countless missions together too. We know each other's combat style well. That's an advantage in itself. I better go." Tina started walking towards the direction Sol just went, but as if she just remembered something, she turned back to Desdemona, "Plus, if something happened to Sol, I won't be able to live." Suddenly the woman smiled. Desdemona blinked. Tina smiled. It was a warm and gentle smile. She never imagined Tina could smile like that.

Unable to understand the true meaning behind Tina's words and the peculiar smile, Desdemona blinked more as she watched Tina run after Sol screaming, "IDIOT! WAIT FOR ME!"

After several seconds, Desdemona concluded that Tina will feel guilty if Sol died because she could have been there to save him…But why? Oh! Because they've been together for a long time. But wait, doesn't she hate him?

?

?

Desdemona watched them until their forms disappeared into the green foliage. She turned back around to find her golem right in front of her nose. "_Ka...chh..ch-ch_" For a few seconds Desdemona listened to the rustling sounds emitted from her golem. She bent her head forwards and let out a sigh before disconnecting the golem. The bat-like device flew back to her, snuggled against her neck and dove back into her uniform via the collar.

Half an hour more and then the train would come. Desdemona hoped that the other three would have returned by then.

* * *

To those who knows K.O. One or X-family, you may recognize Gwen's weapon. Lolz, pan pulled out from back, lol. If you know what I'm talking about, tell me that you know what I'm talking about in the review or PM. Seriously, I need to know I'm not the only one finding it funny.

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

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	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.

Special Thanks To

**The awesome beta-reader , All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads **

Here is Chapter 10, a bit longer this time with heaps of flashbacks XD.

As I mentioned before, some of you may not be able to review on this chapter. A solution is to go back and find a chapter you haven't reviewed and review on that. If you think that's too troublesome, just PM me. X3 I love messages.

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* * *

"_Bidelia! Merry Christmas!" Mony said with a large smile, a large bouquet of white flowers in her hand. Bidelia, a 29 year old circus performer, turned away from her trunk of costumes that she was tidying and smiled warmly at the 8 year old girl._

_Bidelia saw the bouquet of flowers and smiled even wider. She gladly took the flowers by the stems and smelled them. "They smell really nice. Where did you find them?" She said to the little girl in front of her. The girl beamed, "I found this field of flowers to the East. They smell really good! So I picked them for you as a Christmas gift!"_

_Bidelia frowned, "Just near here? But wasn't it snowing all last week?"_

_Mony smiled cheekily, "Not telling you."_

_Bidelia smiled at Mony and bent down to hug the little girl. In Bidelia's embrace, Mony felt extremely warm, even on such a cold Christmas day like today. Mony hugged Bidelia back._

"_Mony, hold them for a while." Bidelia gave the flowers back to the girl. Mony took them back and watched as Bidelia knelt down to get something from beneath her bed. After a few seconds, Bidelia drew out a porcelain vase._

"_Ah!" Mony suddenly said, "Bidelia! I'll help you put water in it! Wait a second!" The girl took the vase from Bidelia's hands and exchanged the flowers. She rushed out of their tent, heading for the tent where the food is prepared. _

_She ran as fast as possible, only the task at hand in her mind. Just as she turned a corner, she bumped into something and fell down on her bottom._

_Her first reaction was the vase. She used her free hand to feel over the vase and was relieved when there were no cracks. She let out a breath._

"_Hey, you all right?"_

_Mony looked up to the voice. Standing there, scratching the back of his head, was the errand boy. She nodded._

_He felt her stare and glanced at the girl. She was still sitting on the cold ground. He sighed and offered a hand._

_Mony watched as he extended a hand, offering to help her up. She was about to take it when she realized he was offering his left hand, the hand others call 'cursed'. She hesitated and looked at it. At this distance, she could see the details clearly. The flesh was red and the nails were black, the joints looked mechanical. He seemed to notice her hesitation and realized that he accidentally used his left hand. The boy quickly withdrew his hand and put it in his pocket to hide._

_The girl watched the boy's reaction. His hand may be cursed but it's not his fault, right? She stood up, dusted her own pants off and bowed, "Thank you." She looked up to see the boy staring at her strangely. Mony smiled and ran past him to do what she set out to do._

_The boy turned and followed the girl with his eyes. He scratched his head in confusion. "Tch." He rolled his eyes and continued walking in the direction he was going before…_

_With a small smile on his face._

* * *

Desdemona sat on the train to Primorsky. She looked out the window and sighed.

The other three didn't make it on time, which meant that she would have to look for General Klaud alone. It was already two days; they should have got on the next train already. The girl moved her left arm around, the cut at her ribs was pretty deep, she might need some stitches. Luckily she brought with her a change of bandages, so she replaced her blood-soaked ones.

The train stopped at a small town. Desdemona saw a telephone box on the side of the platform. She got off the train and walked towards the box. Just as she opened the door, her golem buzzed. _So convenient…_

She attached her golem to the phone line and waited for it to connect.

"_DEM! ARE YOU ALIVE?"_ Reever screeched, nearly making Desdemona's ear burst. She held the handset away from her head. "DEM! DEM!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She questioned back. Reever audibly sighed.

"To tell you the truth, a lot of people died." He said gravely.

"A lot of people?" Desdemona frowned at the sudden news.

"Yeah, I called you to make sure you are alive. The rest of your team…"

Desdemona frowned. "What happened to them?"

"They…they…" Reever seemed unable to continue. "They…we found them in a forest in Moscow a day ago. Their bodies were quite strange. There were no physical injuries on their bodies but they each had an organ missing. We have no idea how that is possible. It was the same cause of death as General Yeegar. We think that it was the work of a Noa-"

"I understand." Desdemona cut in. She looked up. "You said lots of others, who else?"

Reever sighed over the phone. "Deesha Barry from the Tiedoll unit; Katherna Reed and Chalker Laboun from the Sakaro unit and a lot of finders. On total, there were six exorcists and 142 finders confirmed dead."

Desdemona was wordless, it hasn't even been a week and so many… Nevertheless, she was the only one left to search for Master, so she mustn't fail.

"Hai~" Reever sighed for the millionth time, "The other exorcists all had the same autopsy results as General Yeegar. It was puzzling."

_ChooChoo ChooChoo_

Desdemona turned slightly, the train was about to leave. Reever also heard the whistling of the train. "Go, Dem. Don't miss the train."

"Hm." The girl replied. She hung up the handset, disconnected golem and hurried onto the train. She returned to her seat and stared out the window blankly.

Only if she went with them that night…

_And what?_

A voice sounded in Desdemona's head. Was she imagining things? She shook her head. The voice seemed vaguely familiar, but where….

_And what?_

_**Maybe…I could have made a difference. **_Desdemona thought to herself.

_The only difference would be that there will be four dead, not three._

_**Then…what could I have done?**_

_Nothing. No matter what you do, you can't change the past._

_**What about the future?**_

_That…is up to fate._

_**Fate…if everything is already planned out, what's the point of living?**_

_That's for you to find out._

_**My answer is that fate doesn't exist. I'll control my own life.**_

_When the time comes, you will realize fate isn't as you think it is..._

Desdemona shook her head, the voice is gone. Maybe she was too tired and was imagining things…Probably.

_**Farewell. Tina, Gwen, Sol.**_

* * *

Dark blue meeting light blue at an everlasting line, the horizon. The dark blue water shimmered under the sunlight, reflecting the white amongst the light blue of the sky upon its surface. Dark silhouettes of small islands isolated at sea dotted the view. In the sky, birds flew freely, riding the gentle breeze. Behind them, the clouds floated leisurely in the wind. A man walked along the shoreline, he lifted his head and admired the scenery in front of him. Behind him, an array of oddly positioned rocks stood high.

The man wore a black coat with gold linings. On his chest, he bore the Rose of the Order. He had wild, unruly grey hair tied in a low ponytail. On his back, he carried a sack of artistic equipments and scrolls of drawings. A clipboard hung at his neck. The base of the clipboard was resting on his stomach, allowing the board to tilt up without sliding off. On the clipboard was a sheet of paper, the man was sketching on it the scenery in front of him. He chewed the bubble gum in his mouth and blew a bubble.

"General Teidoll." A familiar voice called out from behind. He turned his head slightly. The bubble at his mouth popped.

"Oh. Long time no see." Tiedoll replied. Standing behind him was two of his apprentices, Kanda Yuu and Noise Marie.

~x.X.x~

"Hic, hic..hic." Sniffing sounds were heard from within a town of ruined buildings. The constructions were barely standing. There were no other life forms around other than three exorcists.

"I see…so Deesha…Deesha is dead." General Tiedoll said between sniffs. He sat on a fallen pillar. His glasses were taken off so that he could wipe the falling tears from his eyes. "It…it's so sad…"

The General lowered his head and wiped his whole face with his sleeve. "That kid…always loved to play pranks on me, using the charity bell to crack my glasses. He was such a good kid."

"The body was shipped to Headquarters yesterday." Marie informed.

"The charity bell had been taken as well." Added Kanda.

Tiedoll put his glasses back on but he continued to cry.

"General Tiedoll, I humbly request that you return with us." Kanda said softly - something that he would rarely, if not never, do.

"If I recall correctly, Deesha's hometown was Bodrum, right?" Tiedoll asked, completely ignoring Kanda's plead. "It's a beautiful town, next to the sea." He mumbled to himself. He pulled out a piece of blank paper and his clipboard, and began sketching.

Kanda and Marie watched impatiently. Kanda frowned, "General, the enemy is targeting you and the Innocence you possess."

"This is just an illustration of the town from my memories, so it's probably not accurate…" Tiedoll said. The General sketched. A few minutes later, he held up a sketch of a beautiful port next to the sea. The General stood up and looked up to the sky. "Deesha, I'm sorry it's just a drawing, but I'm sending your hometown to you. May you rest in peace…" He lit a match and held it beneath the sketch. The paper caught alight and burned, turning into ask.

Tiedoll sighed, "I can't return," he answered his students' plead, "We are in the middle of a war now. I will live up to my responsibilities as a General. Moreover, I need to find new exorcists."

The ash rose into the air, where the wind carried them up and away higher and higher into the sky. Seems like the ashes were flying to heaven.

"If God hasn't abandoned us, I am certain he will yet again send us new disciples."

_I knew he was going to say that. _Thought Kanda. Marie seemed to guess what his fellow exorcist was thinking, _Right, typical of the Master. _

The two exorcists sighed and arrived at the same answer, "We will accompany you, General Tiedoll."

* * *

A middle-aged Chinese man with a white bandana stood behind a steamed bun stall. He smiled, winked and raised his thumb at Allen, all the while saying things that were nonsense to the boy. "那个人我看过。红发的外国人，对吧？" said the man. Allen stared dumbfounded, Chinese makes no sense.

The boy stood at the stall, a steamed bun in his mouth and in his right hand, he held a poster with a drawing of General Cross and a line of Chinese that Lenalee wrote and said, "Have you seen this person?"

Allen tried to talk with the stall-keeper, but through the bun in his mouth, everything came out as "Muhn? Muhn?"

The Chinese man smiled widely, he continued winking and offered Allen a whole steamer full of steamed buns. "小弟弟，如果你再买一个馒头，我就把所有我知道的都告诉你。" he said.

Allen panicked. He quickly swallowed the bun in his mouth, "Wait, Chinese makes no sense to me." He turned around and shouted down the street, "Lenalee! Lenalee! Seems like this guy knows something!"

~x.X.x~

The moon rose high in the air, but it was not the only thing illuminating the paths tonight. The exorcists stood in front of a large construction. It was a typical Chinese building but the amount of light coming from it was not normal. Bright light came from within every single window and at least five bright lanterns hung from every single ledge.

"Wow, this is flashy." Lavi commented.

"They say that this is the number 1 brothel in port…" Lenalee informed.

"The man at the steamed bun shop said that General Cross is the new lover of the mistress of this brothel." Crowley recalled.

"Well, that is a typical rumor of Master." Allen said, sarcastically.

Crowley and Lavi cheered. "Yeah! After so long, we've finally found General Cross!" "It took so long, and we traveled so much. I thought we would never find him."

Of all the excitement, Allen sulked in the corner. _Damn…we found him._

" 等一下！" A booming voice came from the front door of the brothel. A large, bold man stepped out. His face was menacing. "这里不是小孩来的地方！" He said, cracking his knuckles while looming over Lavi and Allen.

"Wow! He's huge!" Allen said, not knowing what is going on. But according to the man's behavior, it's nothing good.

"Eh? No way! He has BOOBS?" Lavi exclaimed. Truth seemed to dawn upon Lavi, "NO WAY! HE'S A SHE?"

Allen, who at least could understand body language, freaked out, "We-We're sorry! I don't understand what's going on, but…SORRY!"

The large woman ignored Allen's apologies, she grabbed both Lavi and Allen by their collars and lifted them off the ground. The two exorcists flailed around wildly, trying to free themselves. "Waaa! Lenalee!" Allen shouted, asking for help.

"放了我的朋友！我们不是来这里做客的！" Lenalee said. Allen assumed that she told the woman that they are not dangerous…or something.

The woman leaned her face closer to the exorcists and whispered, "Please go around the back door. You can't get through to the mistress' room from here."

Allen, surprised by the fact that the woman spoke English, stopped flailing around.

The woman extended her tongue where a black cross was tattooed. "We are supporters of the church." She explained. The woman then pretended to throw the two out while leading them to the back of the brothel and then into the mistress' room.

A beautiful woman sat in the center of the large room. She had long, silky black hair ornamented with exotic pins and clips. She wore a stunning red dress with a lot of decorations. The exorcists stared at the woman's face, she was extremely beautiful.

"Welcome, exorcists," even her voice was so beautiful, "I am Anita, the owner of this shop. How do you do?" She slowly stood up, "my apologies for being blunt but…Master Cross is no longer here. Eight days ago, he left to go on a journey."

"EH?" All exorcists said in unison, in disbelief.

"And…" Anita continued, she lowered her head sadly. "Just now…"

Allen frowned, what happened to Cross?

"The ship that Master Cross was on…has been sunk at sea."

Allen froze, Cross…dead?

"Where is the proof?" Bookman asked.

"We sent aid to ships from which we received S.O.S. signals." Anita continued, "But neither ship nor man could be found. There were eerie remains of the ships and a sea of poison spread from it."

The room went silent, digesting the information they had just been given. Could it be…that General Cross really died?

"Where was the Master headed?" Allen asked, "Where was the sunken ship headed?"

Everyone turned to look at Allen, wide eyed.

"My Master wouldn't have drowned so easily." The boy said with certainty.

Anita stared at the boy, surprised. She narrowed her eyes as tears started welling up. "You think so?" Allen looked back at Anita, determination in his eyes. Anita smiled.

Lavi and Bookman took everything in but none of them said a word.

"Mahoja," Anita addressed the large woman who greeted the exorcists at the front door. "Prepare my ship." She commanded.

She then turned back to the exorcists. "Since my mother's generation, we have been supporters of the Church. If you will pursue Master Cross, we are at your service. Our destination is Japan. Edo."

* * *

Desdemona stretched. She leaned back her head and looked at the light blue sky from between her uplifted arms. There wasn't a cloud in sight. She lowered her arms and sighed. Nature seemed to be unaffected by the happenings in this world. So many lost their lives and yet the sun still shines so brightly. It's so much unlike the scenes in novels, when even the sky cries for the death of a character.

Desdemona lowered her head. Exorcists. They aren't much of a noble character anyway. The trail of destruction they leave behind is no better than that of the akuma. Both ways bring pain, both ways bring grief. In a sense, the actions of exorcists may be the exact reason some akumas exist. Irony.

The girl looked around the small platform. The whistling of the train behind her sounded and the train slowly pulled out from the station. She stared after it until it turned and disappeared into a patch of foliage. Too lazy to move, Desdemona continued to stare at the train tracks. Those machines…how long do they have to run before their bodies give out and then get discarded by humans? Machines. Humans make machines to make life better. To make one person's life better, another person will suffer. Machines were then created by humans to hurt humans, machines became weapons.

Exorcists wield weapons. But the more she thinks about it, the more exorcists are like weapons themselves. None of them wanted to save the world, none of them asked to be compatible. They are just simply machines used by the Church in the name of God to fight against the Earl. Huh. God. Desdemona doesn't believe in that crap. Those are all excuses made up by humans to justify their actions.

She looked down at her left hand and sighed. Since when did she start thinking about these troublesome things again?

Oh well, she shouldn't waste any more time. Better start searching for Master. She looked around the station. It was a small station so what she was looking for was not found. Instead, Desdemona walked out of the station and headed down the street. The town was quite small and not many people were around.

Desdemona spotted a woman minding a fruit stall and she headed towards her. The woman saw the approaching exorcist and stood up from her stool. "Good morning, would you like to buy some fruit?"

"No it's ok." replied Desdemona.

"Then, is there anything I can help you with?" The woman offered.

Desdemona nodded, "Have you seen a tall, blond woman with a monkey on her shoulder around here? She usually wears a uniform similar to this one," Desdemona pointed to her coat, "but it's lined with gold instead of silver."

The woman pointed to her cheek and thought for a while. "Do you mean…the American woman with a huge scar on her face?"

Desdemona nodded. She saw hope.

"Ah! That woman. She might be staying at the town's inn, I think. I see her coming in and out from the inn often. The Inn is just down the street."

"Thank you." Desdemona thanked the woman and walked further down the street.

The girl looked around, trying to locate the Inn. Just a few miles in front, a large sign with the words 'INN' dangled above a wooden door. Desdemona deep breathed. She suddenly grew nervous. The last time she saw Master was two years ago. Ever since Master told her she was ready and sent her back to Headquarters by herself, she never saw the General again. General Klaud is a respectable woman, though also fearsome in some situations.

She stopped in front of the wooden door, beneath the large sign. The girl looked up. There was a silhouette behind the curtain of a window on the second floor. It was the silhouette of a monkey.

Desdemona pushed the handle on the wooden door and it opened. The small doorbell on the door frame rang. Desdemona stepped into the Inn. At the service desk, an old man sat there reading the newspaper with his feet resting at the top of the desk.

Upon seeing the exorcist, he slowly lowered his legs and put down his newspaper. He leaned forward at the desk and smiled, "Hello there. May I help you?"

Desdemona stepped up to the desk. She looked around, there was a set of stairs to the left leading to the second floor. On the first floor, there were four closed doors on each side, meaning four rooms. She looked back to the man at the desk, "I am looking for a woman with a white monkey, wearing a uniform similar to this coat." She pointed to her coat.

The man narrowed his eyes, "May I ask for your name and why are you looking for her?"

"Desdemona Beast. I am her student."

"Sorry for my rudeness. Miss Klaud has asked me to confirm the identity of her visitors and consult her before letting anyone in. Please wait a minute."

The man turned around and picked up a phone. He waited for a few seconds, dialed a few numbers and waited a few more seconds. "Sorry to disturb, Miss Klaud."

Desdemona perked up at her Master's name. She tried to hear what the other side was saying but failed.

"You have a visitor." The man continued. "Desdemona Beast. Says she's your student." The man listened. "Yes. Ok. I'll bring her." He hung up and turned to Desdemona. "Miss Beast, please follow me."

The man stood up and came out from behind the desk. He noticed the suitcase in Desdemona's hand. "Miss Beast, I'll help you carry that." He extended a hand and offered to carry it.

"It's ok. I'll carry it myself." Desdemona declined.

The Innkeeper nodded. He turned and headed up the stairs. Desdemona followed. As she placed her foot on the bottom step, the wooden boards creaked loudly. She tensed and lifted her weight off the step. The man half-turned and smiled apologetically. "Don't worry about it. These boards are old, but they are not old enough to break yet."

Desdemona nodded. _But…can they support 150kg pushing down on them within an area of about 105 square centimeters? _She looked down at her foot and put her entire weight on it. The boards creaked, they even bent downwards but they didn't break. She was relieved.

The Innkeeper smiled and continued up the stairs. Desdemona followed with caution.

Upstairs, there was a long corridor. At either side of the corridor, two rows of doors lines the walls. At the end of the corridor, a small table with a small vase of flower stood under the large window. The Innkeeper walked down the corridor and stopped at the third door on the right. "This is Miss Klaud's room. I'll head downstairs for now. If you need anything, feel free to call me."

The Eurasian girl nodded and the man headed down the stairs. She stood before the door. Tina, Gwen and Sol…it'd be better if they were here.

She lifted a hand and knocked on the door. Faint footsteps were heard from the inside.

The door opened. Desdemona stood up straight and looked at the woman who opened the door.

"Master…"

~x.X.x~

"So Tina and Sol…Gwen too…" Klaud breathed. Two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks. Lau sat on Klaud's shoulder and lowered its head sadly.

Desdemona sat opposite her Master. She explained the whole thing to the General. She sighed. In this situation, a normal person should cry.

The General put her elbow on the window ledge beside her and supported her forehead with her hand. She cried silently. Lau, with his puffed cheeks, frowned and wiped the tears off the General's face with its tail. The General sat there, unmoving. Lau whined sadly. It hopped off Klaud's shoulder and hopped onto Desdemona's lap. Desdemona looked down at Lau, it waved its tail and stared up at her. She smiled gently.

"So…" General Klaud began. Lau hoped back onto its Master's shoulder.

"Master. Come back to Headquarters with me. Please." Desdemona begged.

"That was what I was planning. But…the war has begun, there's a lot I need to do. I just can't return to the safety of the Headquarters. The Earl is out there to get us Generals but running away isn't the solution either."

Desdemona wanted to object. "Master-" She quickly stood up. A sharp pain shot up from the left side of her ribs, where the injury was. She held a hand to her injury and fell back onto the chair. _Reopened the wound? Unlikely, she was just standing up…_

"You're injured?" Her Master asked, concern in her voice.

"No, no. It's fine. Just a scratch." Desdemona forced a smile while shaking her free hand in front of her in denial.

General Klaud looked to the place Desdemona put a hand to. The girl's hand tightened, as if trying to stop the pain.

"Let me see the wound." The General said.

Desdemona lowered her head and obeyed. She took off her uniform as her Master had instructed. Klaud frowned. The shirt hasn't been changed after the fight with the akuma so the place she was slashed left a hole. Around the hole, dramatic blood stains extended to the middle of her back. Really, it isn't that bad, just the shirt…

She then took her shirt off. Inside, she wore a white tank top. Klaud noticed the unfamiliar black patterns that sat on the girl's now exposed left shoulder and upper arm.

As the shirt, the tank top was cut through and through the hole, the bandages she had around her chest were seen. Even though Desdemona re-bandaged her wound after it stopped bleeding, not they are soaked with fresh blood.

Klaud frowned deeper. "Is that what you call 'a scratch'?" She said accusingly.

Desdemona didn't respond.

The General sighed. "Looks like I'll have to treat that properly. You need to change bandages too." Klaud said. She went over the window and drew the curtains.

Desdemona then proceeded to remove her top and the bandages.

Klaud examined the wound. "It's doesn't look good. When did you get that injury?"

"Um…two days ago?"

The Master shook her head. "It's a very deep slash. And you just reopened it. You need stitches."

"Oh." Came the student's simple answer.

The General got up, picked up the phone and ailed a few numbers. "Hello, yes. Could you please bring me some alcohol, bandages, some thread and needle for treating injuries. Oh yes, and could I please have a candle with some match sticks. Thank you." She then hung up.

A few minutes later, the Innkeeper knocked on the door. "Just leave those by the door. I'll get them by myself." Klaud said to the Innkeeper.

"Yes, madam." Replied the man. Footsteps were then heard heading down the stairs.

Klaud went over to the door, opened it and collected the items she requested in a tray. She closed the door and came next to the girl, lowering the tray on the table next to the girl. The General then took a small towel from the bathroom and filled a cup of warm water. She also lit the candle. She moved her chair closer to Desdemona and sat down on it. The General soaked part of the towel with water.

"Lift your left arm up."

Desdemona did so obediently.

Klaud used the towel to clean away the blood around the wound. Then she soaked another part of the towel with the alcohol. She dabbed at the wound, disinfecting it. Desdemona sat there silently, feeling the sting of the alcohol but did not wince.

"You know…" The General began. She held the metal needle over the fire of the candle. "You should have got the stitches on as soon as possible."

"Hm."

Klaud threaded the thread through the small needle. She lifted the needle to Desdemona's skin and pierced the pale skin. Desdemona tightened her jaws. Klaud pulled the thread tight and tied a knot, she then continued to close the rest of the wound.

"It will leave a scar." Klaud said quietly.

"I don't mind."

"…"

The needle pierced her skin again and again. She endured in silence.

"Talking about scars. When did you get that?" Klaud asked, gesturing to the black patterns tattooed onto the girl's left shoulder and down to the upperarm.

"One and a half years ago, I think."

"Hm. Why?"

"That is the only scar I cannot stand seeing."

Finally, Klaud finished the last stitch and tied a knot. She removed the needle from the thread and wiped it with the towel. Desdemona reached for the bandages, intending to put them on herself. Klaud slapped her hand away and raised her eyebrows. "I saw your old bandages. They were so poorly wrapped that I won't ever consider allowing you to bandage anything else for that matter."

"But…I was in a hurry."

"No excuses. I'll do it."

Desdemona sighed and obeyed. She let her Master help her put on the bandages.

"Master…" She began, "Come back to the Headquarters. Please."

Klaud sighed. "I guess there's no other way, then."

* * *

Allen stood on the mast of Anita's ship. Timcampy fluttered beside him. Both of them looked to the horizon, facing East.

"Timcampy," Allen said, "Master is beyond this ocean?"

Timcampy only answered by staring straight East.

Allen smiled and lowered his head. "Stupid Master. If you died, I'll hate you for it." After standing for a few minutes, he bent his legs and sat down on the wooden pole. He leaned his head on the mast and stared at the ocean.

Suddenly, his left eye reacted and the two gear like spectacles appeared. This form of the eye, it only became like this after it healed from Road's attack. Allen quickly stood up. _Akuma?_ He thought to himself in alert. _Still far away. But where?_

Allen looked around him, all he could see was the vast ocean and the blue sky with white clouds. He looked further into the sky and narrowed his eyes.

As a large cloud drifted past, a black line appeared in the blue sky. The black line was made up by thousands of small dots. Allen looked closer, the line was heading towards them, fast. _The akuma!_

"EVERYONE!" Allen shouted down onto the deck, "AKUMA ARE COMING!"

~x.X.x~

Lenalee looked up to the sky. She had been walking from Anita's shop to the port. Just now, a huge swarm of akumas passed over the sky. "What a swarm…" She said to herself.

Suddenly, something gold smashed into her head. Timcampy flew backwards to face Lenalee. Lenalee touched her head where Timcampy smashed into. "Timcampy! You surprised me."

Timcampy lifted a small hand and pointed to the sky. Lenalee followed its tiny little finger with her eyes. Her eyes widened as she saw the small explosions that signified battling in the air.

"GYYAAA!" An angered akuma screeched. In its hand, he held Allen by the leg. "Destroy this God damned exorci-"

It was cut off as Allen fired at it, reducing it to dust. Allen started falling. Another akuma came up from below the exorcist and took him in its large hand. "Now you're mine!"

"Tch." Allen frowned. There's no way of escaping this akuma. He struggled, but the akuma's grip was like an iron vice.

_Chew~_

Something flew past and the akuma exploded. Allen was pushed away by the air waves. He fell down.

Allen looked up. Lenalee was above him, extending a hand towards him. Allen willingly took the hand.

As they fell, a loud bang came from the North. Both of them turned their head to the sound. They widened their eyes at the sight.

In the Northern forest, a bizarre figure rose out from the foliage. It looked like a body without the limps and the head.

The akumas screamed. "Yearrrg! It has appeared!"

* * *

_Mony walked leisurely around the campus with her hands folded behind her head. She strolled around the empty spaces and the paths between tents. There wasn't much to do today, only she and Chase had to serve dinner later because the old errand boy was sick. Knowing their troop leader, Mony predicted that Cosmo wouldn't let that boy off so easily._

_Nevertheless, she's got free time from now until dinner. Bidelia was off today too, since Cosmo told her that she needn't perform on tonight's show. Kugar, Bidelia's partner in performance and also the audience's favourite tiger, was also sick. Cosmo never liked Bidelia, the audience liked her much better than him. He also muttered something about the errand boy passing the flu to the tiger…sounds like the errand boy is in for some serious beating when he gets better, or maybe something worse._

_What to do now? There's nothing to do. She should look for Chase…or something. She paced the brown dirt ground, kicking a small rock along with her feet. Where is Bidelia? Sigh…so bored._

_She suddenly remembered the old storage tent. She could explore there. The circus puts all the old props and equipments in there. Maybe she can find something interesting in there. She winded through the many colourful tents until she spotted an old fainted one. Bidelia told her that Cosmo don't like people going in there. But who cares? Cosmo can't throw her out, Cosmo can't stop her pay since she wasn't paid anyway, Cosmo can't do anything to her other than giving her a few more bruises and cuts._

_She walked boldly up to the entrance but stopped short to look around her to make sure no one saw her. She quietly swept aside the fabric hanging at the entrance and sneaked in. The tent smells like old stuff, from old smelly shoes to old soggy wood. The air wasn't so fresh in here, not at all. The girl looked around her. There was a pile of broken wood on her right, stacked messily upon each other. She recognized the shape of several of the broken wood, it looked like the pillar they used to secure the cage-lifting contraption. Maybe the people before her used that pillar too, and maybe that pillar bore the weight of so many cages that it finally gave out. It was then thrown away, thrown here, and watched as a new, younger one replaced its own role._

_Poor pillar…_

_Mony slapped herself inside, she's pitying a broken pillar?_

_The girl went deeper inside the tent. Trunks of old costumes were discarded on her left. Several of the costumes stuck out from the heavy lids of the trunks, some of them had patches of different coloured fabric stitched all over the original colour but some of them looked brand new, without a hole, without an extra stitch. _Those must be Cosmo's._ Thought the girl instinctively. There exists a negativity in everyone's mind each time Cosmo was mentioned, and vice versa, once something negative presents itself, Mony instinctively relates it back to Cosmo. Well, it's not unlike Cosmo to throw away perfectly good costumes. He's the leader after all, he must be the best, so therefore, he mustn't wear the same costume too many times. He said that's what the audience would pick on._

_And when someone else is significantly better than him, he would try and pull them down until they are lower than him. He never ever had tried to elevate himself, just pulling others down._

_His act sucks, his act had always sucked, his act will continue to suck._

_Mony sighed at the costumes. If only he'd use them more…it wouldn't be such a waste. She proceeded further into the tent. It was like a museum. In some ways, it showed how the people before her had lived and survived with the circus. Most of them left because they can't take Cosmo anymore. _

_Those who are now here are here because they have no choice. Bidelia's here because there's nowhere else to go, Chase and herself are here because Bidelia is here. All the Masters are here for the money. The errand boys are here because they are orphans. Who wanted to come here? No one. Mony had been thinking about it for a long time. _

_If she or Chase had the ability, they would leave this place with Bidelia. She wished she had the ability, the power to be able to not depend on this circus, these people, so that her own family wouldn't depend on them either. They can depend on her instead. _

_Chase is closer to that dream than her, though. He can do a lot of things that Mony can't. He can fix mechanisms easily, all those extra contraptions at the backstage were designed and made by him. Cosmo even thought Chase was useful. _

_But she can't do anything. She can't cook, like the chef; she can't make people laugh, like the clown-Mana; she can't even operate the simplest of machinery Chase made. The only things she can do…are things like feeding the animals, getting buckets of water from the well, help serve dinner and help tending the wounded (who were mostly victims of Cosmo's beatings). She was Bidelia's daughter, but her ability with animals were only a millionth of what Bidelia could do. The animals only comes close to her when she was holding the buckets of food for them, other than that, they just ignore her._

_The closest she ever got to learning from Bidelia was playing with her whip when she wasn't using it. She always sits beneath the old tree in the centre of the campus with three rocks balanced on the large log opposite her. Then she would try to hit the rocks off the log one by one with the whip. It was fun, that was the only reason she did it._

_She walked deeper and deeper into the tent. She looked up and down, left and right. Those 'rubbish' were quite interesting to look at. Suddenly, at the corner of her eye, she spotted something. Something large, it's dark brown with tiny specs of white and black. She turned her head to the object. There, at the very back of the tent, was an old piano._

_A piano, it was the first time she saw one. She always heard from the others how wonderful or awful an instrument it is. She approached the piano. The lid for the keyboard was broken off and it lay on the ground behind the giant instrument. Mony placed a hand on the neatly arranged keyboard. The pattern of black and white keys were placed so orderly along the piano. She pressed a key and a note came from the instrument. She was curious, so she pressed several other notes._

_The sound of the piano. It sounds really good._

_She pressed a few more keys, several other notes sounded._

_Just then, she felt a shadow fall across her. Uh-oh…_

_She turned around quickly, ready to apologize. She wasn't supposed to be there. The worst possibility would be that the person is Cosmo, if it were the other masters or any of the backstage workers it'll be fine as long as she does something for them. But to her relief, it was none of these people. Instead, standing before her was Bidelia._

_She let out a breath._

"_You know Cosmo will get angry if he knew you came in here." The woman said with a gentle smile._

_Mony nodded and lowered her head._

_To the girl's surprise, Bidelia laughed. "Oh, silly girl. Don't look so nervous. No one knew you came here anyway."_

_Mony looked at the older woman, puzzled. "Bidelia, you aren't angry? You are the one who told me not to come here."_

"_Oh, no. Why would I be angry when my daughter acts so much like myself."_

"_Huh? What do you mean?"_

_Bidelia smiled. She pulled out a bench from behind the piano and placed it in front of the keyboard. She sat on one end of the bench and gestured for Mony to sit beside her. The girl obeyed. "Well," Bidelia explained, "When I was young, I used to live in a household that was quite rich. My parents always restricted where I can go and where I can't. I was quite rebellious and curious so I'd always visit the places they told me not to when they aren't watching."_

"_So you mean I am like you because I'm rebellious?"_

"_No." Bidelia answered firmly, "Not because you are rebellious, as such. But your unwillingness to let others govern your actions, even fate."_

"_What?" the 9-year-old girl frowned in confusion._

"_Haha," Bidelia laughed, "Don't worry about it." She lifted a finger and played a note. "Hey, Mony. Why, out of all things in this tent, do you take an interest in this piano?"_

"_Um…" Mony thought for a bit, "I don't know. I saw it and I wanted to touch it. I pressed some keys and sounds came from it. Those sounds sounded nice too, as if it was talking."_

_Bidelia's eyes widened for a moment. Then they softened into a slightly sad smile. Even though the girl saw those expressions, her young, inexperienced mind was not able to comprehend them. Bidelia lifted both of her hands. She placed them gently on the keys and started playing a song._

_Mony listened, she never knew Bidelia could play the piano._

_The tune was slightly sad but for some reason, the girl felt extremely peaceful. She listened as Bidelia played. From the way the piano sang, it seemed like Bidelia missed something, remembered something…nostalgia._

_As Bidelia finished playing, she looked to the side to see the girl staring at the keys. "Do you want to learn the piano?"_

_Mony nodded enthusiastically._

* * *

Allen: Now, I finally get some screen time.

Desdemona: Psh, yeah. My screen time is still more than yours.

Allen: Well, it's not the quantity but the quality that counts. All of my scenes were good scenes that either have me fighting epically or acting cool.

Desdemona: Yeah. Having a bun in your mouth, causing you not being able to talk is totally cool. Oh, and visiting a brothel is such an honourable thing too.

Allen: Well...that was...Well... ... ... Ahem. Then tell me what do you have in your scenes that you believe to be better than mine.

Desdemona: One of my scenes had me sitting there half-naked.

Allen: … … *blush*

Desdemona: Hey, Kami. Don't you reckon that is enough to beat this bean sprout?

Kami: *stare*

**Review, review, review!**

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	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader , All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

******Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

_Betrayed…_

_**What?**_

_Betrayed God…_

_**You again. What are you talking about? Who are you?**_

_He betrayed God…_

_**Who? Who betrayed God?**_

_Gauntlet…destroy…_

_**I don't understand.**_

…

_**Am I dreaming?**_

_Desdemona opened her eyes and looked around._

_**Everything is dark. I'm probably dreaming.**_

_She lifted a hand and looked at it. There was no light but she was able to see herself, somehow. She closed and opened her palm a few time. This is her hand…_

_Fallen…_

_She quickly turned around to the direction of the voice. There was nothing but darkness. That voice…it's really familiar. From where? When? Why did she forget? What else had she forgotten? She closed her eyes and searched her mind. Nothing, still nothing._

_Exorcist…fallen._

_She looked up. __**Who are you? What are you talking about?**_

_Something flashed at the corner of her eye. She turned around. There, in a spontaneous spot within the darkness, a single bright dot shone. She reached to touch it, but felt nothing as the dot passed right through her hand._

_Watch…_

_Suddenly, the bright dot expanded into something that looked like a screen. Desdemona stared at it. There's nothing on it, it's just shining white. As she stared harder, longer, some vague grey forms started appearing. _

_Gradually, they became clearer, more colourful. Desdemona tried to make out the image. She saw a mountain, vegetation, a small village at the foot of the mountain with small wooden structures. Asian structures, like China. But what she was extremely puzzled over was the thing that hovered above the village. _

_It was very large, almost as tall as the mountain. It resembles something like a human body without the head and limbs. A halo-like thing hovered above its severed neck. At its waist, millions of wire-like tendrils came out and wove together to make a 'base'. On the right side, the flesh seemed to the rotting away. A deep, void-like dent on the chest was where the heart should be._

_Fallen…Has fallen…Betrayed God._

_Desdemona tried to piece together all the information she was given. So this weird thing, whatever it is, has betrayed God, and thus be called 'fallen'. Like a fallen angel?_

_No. Exorcist. _

_**What? That thing's an exorcist?**_

_Yes._

_Suddenly, screens started showing up all around her. They soon all displayed different images._

_Images of an exorcist with combed back black hair. __**That's Soman.**__ Desdemona recognized. She looked at the other pictures. Soman walking with his comrades to find General Sakaro. Another man with black hair in a formal set of tuxedos. He had a line of pointed black crosses along his forehead._

_Desdemona leaned forward. That man, must be a Noah. Those exorcists, he killed them. What he the one that killed Tina, Sol and Gwen too? More images showed up._

_Soman, still alive and covered by his comrades' blood, shaking and kneeling in front of the Noah. His face showed fear, extreme fear._

_The exorcist wanted to live, he betrayed God._

_**You mean…Soman wanted to live so he asked the Noah to let him live?**_

_Yes._

_Some new images replaced the old ones. Soman, with fear in his eyes, talking into his golem. Soman talking to the Noah. The Noah walking away. Soman collapsing._

_Then it all went dark._

_Betrayed God._

_After a few seconds of complete darkness, another screen slowly showed. It displayed an image of a very frail Soman, lying in a bed. A little girl, middle aged woman and an old man were bent over him. Soman woke up. The little girl carried a bucket and ran out. Soman clutched his neck in agony. And…_

_Desdemona widened her eyes._

_Instead of Soman, in his place was the mutated human body without head or limbs._

_Soman Dark. Betrayed God. Has fallen._

_**Fallen. That thing. What? Why does that happen?**_

_The voice sighed. __I'll explain._

_Desdemona gasped as something large was forced into her head. There was no sound, no light, just heaps and heaps of information drilled into her head. Her head started hurting, it was too much in this short amount of time. The pain became more and more intense. She clutched her head and fell to her knees. Too much, too less time. She tightened her jaws and a bead of sweat rolled down her face._

_Finally, it all ended. Information stopped being pressed into her head. The headache stopped. She dropped her arms from her head to the ground, supporting her weight. She digested all those information that whoever it was just drilled into her head. She suddenly she understood fully what 'fallen' meant. _

_When the sychronisation percentage goes below zero…betrayed. Innocence will destroy the traitor. One who betrays God is the enemy of the Innocence…_

_**Soman…is being killed by his Innocence…**_

_Yes…_

_**Is anyone doing something about it?**_

_The screens showed up again. This time, it returned to the fallen Soman hovering above the village. Another image showed up, it displayed a whole cloud of akumas attacking Soman. Soman destroyed them all with a swipe. The view lowered into the village. Three small black dots were seen amongst the dust that rose with Soman's destructive attacks. The view zoomed. Desdemona looked closer and her mouth fell slightly agape. _

_**That's…that's…Lenalee. Lavi is over there. And then…here's Allen.**_

_They are fighting Soman. To prevent him from doing too much damage. And to prevent the akumas from getting his Innocence._

_**They have to defeat Soman and get his Innocence before the akumas do.**_

_Yes._

_Another screen showed up. Allen was thrown into the mountain, causing a large dent into the rocks. He had a lot of injuries and scratches on him. He was screaming to Soman. He activated his Innocence. It was larger than usual. His hand was large enough to grab Soman's form on the whole. Allen squeezed, more energy rushed out, destroying some akumas in the process. Allen then slammed Soman into a neighbouring mountain to immobilize him._

_By that time, Desdemona was literally leaning on the screen. Allen. His right hand was bleeding, there are spots where his hand seemed to be degraded._

_Allen Walker. __The voice began. __Shouldn't have done that. He will break._

_**What do you mean by he's going to break?**_

_The screen flashed a few more images of Allen trying to talk to Soman._

_**Is he…trying to save him?**_

_Rip~_

_Desdemona thought she heard something rip. But there was no sound around her. Just something in her head. Allen's left arm deactivated. It reached its limits. Something tugged at Desdemona's heart. Something…quite unable to be put into words._

_Her left arm started feeling hot. It's probably just an illusion. But the heat didn't stop. It became hotter and hotter until it was almost burning. She clutched her right hand to her left upper arm, to a familiar place where once an injury left the scar she hated so much._

_Allen Walker…Is breaking._

_Allen…is this what Allen is feeling now? The pain. Must be a hundred times more intense that what she's feeling, because at this level she was still able to bear it. The temperature continued to rise. And gradually, the pain became unbearable. She clutched her left arm to her stomach._

_Why do you care?_

_**What…What are you talking about!**_

_One day…_

Desdemona sat up, a bit too quick. Her vision spun. She shook her head and put a hand to her forehead. When her vision finally stopped spinning, she lowered her hand and looked around. She was in a train cabin. Her coat was draped over her. She looked to the chair in front of her, Master was nowhere to be seen.

General Klaud agreed to come back to the Headquarters, so they caught the train that goes back to Moscow. They will arrive in another day and a half, that's probably tomorrow around noon. Desdemona smacked herself in her head. How could she fall asleep again?

Her dream suddenly flooded back to her. She lifted her right hand to feel her left upper arm while at the same time she raised her left hand. She closed and opened her left hand. It's not hurting anymore. _Allen… _She looked out the window. Somewhere to the South-east, her friends are fighting. She can't go help them. She has to get her Master back to the Headquarters.

That brought her back to reality. Well, her dream _is_ reality. Somehow…it felt real, it felt like now. Desdemona frowned. Who is that voice? Why is it so familiar? How did it know what was happening? Why did it tell her? It's all so confusing. Doesn't make any sense.

She sighed. Better not think about that now. She has to find her Master. Somewhere on the train, probably. She hoped her Master wouldn't go back on her words and jump off the train….

Her worries were unnecessary, though. Just as she stood up and was putting her coat back on. General Klaud walked in from the door that connects to the carriage in front. "So you woke up. Seems like the battles took a toll on you."

"I'm fine." The girl replied.

"Is that the only thing you can say?"

"…" Desdemona looked back outside the window. General Klaud sat back down on her seat in front of Desdemona and facing her. The girl sat down too.

_Allen…_

* * *

_I heard something rip…it hurts._

Allen laid on the cold hard ground. His left arm was shaking.

_My left hand won't make it. It hurts. I can't fight anymore._

He tightened his jaws.

_I can't do anything._

_**Slap.**_

A small, golden paw slapped at Allen's cheek. Timcampy peered out from beneath the hood. It slapped Allen's check with its tiny little paw repeatedly. Allen glanced sidewards. "Timcampy…" he breathed.

All of a suddenly, Timcampy opened its mouth and bit down hard on Allen's ear.

"OW OW OW OW OW OW!" Allen sat up and managed to get Timcampy off his ear. As soon as Tim's teeth were removed from his flesh, blood flooded out from the teeth marks on his ear. "Wha-What are you-…?"

Timcampy flew in front of Allen's face. It opened its mouth slightly and some small flickers of fire flowed out.

"Huh?" Allen said, confused at this weird phenomenon. "Wait…" He began, finally understanding Timcampy's odd behaviours. "Are you…Mad at me?"

As soon as Allen said it, Tim opened its jaws up wide, revealing two rows of tiny but very sharp teeth.

"Uahh!" Allen exclaimed. Tim was about to bite him again. "Sorry ok? I'm sorry!" Timcampy didn't seem to want to stop.

"I'LL TRY!" Allen screamed, on impulse. He stopped suddenly realizing what he just said. "I'll try…" he repeated again, with a quieter voice. Tim closed its mouth, satisfied with the answer.

Within 24 hours, a fallen one must die. Time's nearly up. The body floating in the sky was decaying away. At the centre of its chest, the blood-red void where Soman was, was also gradually degenerating.

"SOMAN!"

The near-death man looked up from the void. There, above him, was the white-haired exorcist.

"Exorcist." Soman croaked.

"I'm Allen." Allen offered a warm smile.

Soman looked sadly at Allen. "My life…will end soon. I'm going die. This monster will probably disappear too. I'm sorry. I wanted to see my family. Forgive me." The man's skin turned transparent, his skeleton were able to be seen through the skin. Two streams of tears flowed down from his eyes and had an extremely sad smile.

_I heard something rip…._

Allen threw his broken left arm to the side and activated it. It was crumbling…

_But I didn't care._

* * *

"_So…this is the 'Headquarters' you've been talking about." Desdemona, 11 years old, said as she tailed behind the woman named Klaud who brought her all the way here to France from London._

"_Yes, this is the Headquarters of the Black Order. The 'home' of exorcists." Kaud replied as she led the girl through the maze like corridors._

"_This place is sooo big!" Desdemona commented, folding her arms behind her head. She looked around the corridors, like a little puppy being walked by its Master._

"_Well, of course. It has to accommodate the exorcists, the scientists, the workers and the finders. That's over thousands of people."_

"_Wow!" the little girl said with wide open eyes. Klaud smiled._

"_Well, what we have to do now is to find a suitable job for you. If my assumptions are correct, you may be able to go back to London. I believe you still have some loved ones over there."_

_The girl stopped short. She never told Klaud about the Chapmans or Tempest. She was sure that she never even hinted it. The woman simply smiled._

"_Again, if my assumptions are correct, you can resume your former profession if you wish. But you will need to keep an ear out for any information that we might find useful and report them to the headquarters. You will be paid too, so you won't really be depending on your heists that much." The General shrugged._

_Desdemona thought about it. Maybe this isn't such a bad idea. She can still live her normal life with the addition of making a few extra calls and then she gets paid. She doesn't even need to be separated from Tempest and the Chapmans._

_The two walked into the Science department. There were a lot of people and weird looking machinery around here. They passed through the Public laboratory, it was horrid. Paper, paper, and paper. There virtually wasn't anything else in sight._

_Finally, they arrived before a large pair of doors. General Klaud knocked on them three times and pushed on them. The large doors opened with a creak and then a bang as they hit the wall._

"_General Klaud! Welcome back." A man sat at a desk directly in front of the door. He had the same white coat all those scientists had on with the addition of a white beret cap. A pair of glasses sat on the bridge of nose and he smiled warmly. On his desk was…a blue mug with a pink bunny on it and…paper. Desdemona looked around the room. Paper. Mountains and mountains of paper. Just like the outside._

"_Good morning, Komui. This girl. I found her and thought she might be of use." General Klaud got straight down to business._

_This Komui person stood up from his desk and walked towards Desdemona. "Girl? At first glance I thought it was a little boy."_

_Desdemona looked down, she still had on the same clothes as three days ago…_

"_Well, that seems to be a common misconception. I myself made the same mistake." Klaud confessed._

_Komui looked back at the girl. "So…what's your name?"_

"_Desdemona." She replied._

"_Desdemona? What about your family name, then."_

"_Don't have one."_

_Komui frowned, "Don't have one?"_

"_The reason I found her was because she tried to steal my wallet." Klaud explained. Komui nodded, understanding the situation._

_BANG!_

_The doors were slammed open again as a pair of scientists rushed in. "KOMUI! KOMUI!" They exclaimed at the top of their lungs as they ran in and stopped in front of Komui. They caught their breath._

"_What's the matter?" Komui asked._

"_Hev…Hevlaska…" The scientists seemed to have a hard time talking since they were breathing so heavily. "Hevlaska said…someone compatible…is somewhere very…very close."_

_Komui walked towards the two scientists. "What did you say? Somewhere very close? Could it be that, that person is currently inside the headquarters?"_

"_Well…" The scientist talking swallowed. "She said…that…there's someone…new here…here and…that person is compatible…"_

_The Supervisor thought about it. Someone who isn't usually here…_

_Instantly, his head turned and he looked at Desdemona. The girl looked back up at Komui, totally confused about what exactly is going on. The man looked back to the General. "General Klaud. Looks like we'll have to take her down to Hevlaska." Desdemona looked to the woman who brought her here. She was staring down at her with an unexplainable stare. "Yes. I'll come with you."_

_Without knowing how, Desdemona was pulled onto an up-side-down pyramid that was suspended in thin air. At first she was scared, what if this thing falls. But then, she became curious and started examining the suspended platform. Behind her, General Klaud and Komui were having an incomprehensible conversation. She doesn't want to comprehend them anyway, just going to make her head hurt._

_The suspended, miraculous prism descended downwards. Desdemona ran to the side and looked down. Her hair stood on ends. Down there was a very very dark void, she can't even see anything. But she can feel the chilling air that rose up from that void…It looks scary. Where on earth are those two weird people bringing her to? Gradually, but fast at the same time, they descended far enough that nothing was visible anymore, just darkness. Suddenly, the platform stopped moving so the young girl returned to the two who were having a heated conversation._

"_Compatible…but doesn't that mean we'll have to keep her here? I have promised that we'll let her go back."_

"_But it's the Order's rule. We can't let an exorcist go when we find one. You must already know that finding a compatible person is very rare."_

_Well…Desdemona doesn't understand most of the conversation but she does understand one thing…maybe these people aren't letting her go back to London because she was some kind of a rarity._

"_Well, let's not decide that too fast. Allow Hevlaska to check first."_

_What? Hevlaska? That's an odd name? Who is that?_

_A chilling air rose up from behind Desdemona. Out of instinct, she turned right around to face what looked like a monster with a woman's lower face. Desdemona stepped backwards. It is frightening._

"_She is…it's her…that's right…" The monster said. It was shaking uncontrollably._

"_Hevlaska. Are you alright?" Komui asked with concern in his voice. So this monster is Hevlaska…Desdemona shuddered. Whatever she needs to be checked for, she does not want to be checked by this monster._

"_Komui…let the girl come closer. I can feel the Innocence being attracted to this girl. I don't know which one yet…let her come closer."_

_Komui pressed a hand on the girl's back, who was backing away. "Don't worry. Go closer. Hevlaska won't hurt you." The Supervisor gently pushed the girl forwards._

_Desdemona reluctantly approached the weird being named Hevlaska. What is this place? A freak-show or something? …wait…General Klaud said something about Church…Are all churches like that? With monsters in them? It's more like a satanic organization if you ask, but she's never entered one so she wouldn't know. As she approached Hevlaska, it shook more and more violently._

"_Ahh. I can feel it. The Innocence. It wants to come out." Hevlaska threw it/her head back. Something bright shone from beneath the railing and Desdemona leant out to see. Down there, was what looked like the inside of this monster. In its body, there was some form of complicated symbols weaved into a large symbol. There were slots in that large symbol, a lot of them. But only a few were filled with something. Those somethings shone with light. Suddenly, something near the edge of the symbol flashed. Its light appeared and disappeared in a rhythmic pattern._

_That's your Innocence…_

_W-what? Who? Who's that voice?_

_That 'thing' shone brighter and brighter. Hevlaska opened her mouth and that shiny 'thing' shot out from inside her and exited her body from her mouth. Then, with a dashing speed, it flew towards Desdemona._

_The girl was shocked to the point that she couldn't move. She was only brought to her senses by that 'thing' hitting her hard in the chest. She flew backwards and landed on her bottom. "Ow!" She exclaimed._

_There was something in her hands. She opened her hands and looked at that 'thing' carefully. It was like a cube with two orbiting rings around it. But only half. Half a cube with two half rings orbiting it._

"_That's…" Komui breathed._

"_Yes." Hevlaska answered. "That is the half-Innocence that we found. The other half was nowhere to be found. It is the God of thunder…Thor."_

_As if proving Hevlaska right. A loud clash sounded from outside the building. And just right after that clash, came the loud sound of heavy rain hitting metal. That loud clash was…thunder._

"_Then…"General Klaud began._

"_I'll check her percentage." Hevlaska suddenly said, cutting Klaud off her sentence. Desdemona watched horrified as Hevlaska lifted her up from the platform and held her tightly in tentacle-like things. Desdemona wanted to struggle but often when you are caught like this, there's no way of struggling out of it. And plus…that Komui said Hevlaska is not harmful, right? …Desdemona decided to trust this unreliable-looking person. Just this once._

_Hevlaska gradually lowered her head and gently touched her forehead with Desdemona's. Something very uncomfortable is going on. Desdemona feels like there's something searching through her body._

"_12%..." Hevlaska said quietly. "18%...25%...31%...36%." She stopped counting and paused for a long while. She then removed her forehead from Desdemona's and set the little girl back onto the platform._

"_Currently, her highest synchronization percentage is 36%. The maximum she could reach is 50%. Since we don't know her percentage with the other half, we don't know her exact percentage for the Innocence." Hevlaska explained to Komui._

_Komui looked down and though with his chin in between his thumb and index fingers. "That brings us into an entirely different situation."_

"_No matter what now, she has to become an exorcist." Klaud stated._

"_Yes. That's the only way." Komui said as he lifted his head up again. "Desdemona, you have to become an exorcist."_

_The little girl looked up at the two adults and one monster. What the hell are they talking about?_

"_Exorcists." General Klaud began, "are people chosen by God to defeat evil. Once a person becomes compatible with Innocence, they will have the ability to destroy Dark Matter."_

"_What?" Desdemona frowned in extreme confusion._

"_General Klaud." A booming voice said, it sounded like it came from above them…A bright light shone down from the wall next to them. There were five spotlights. Under each of those spotlights, a person sat on a chair with an insanely tall back. Each of the people wore a long, black coat with a white cross on their left shoulder, they all had a hood that covered their face from view. Desdemona couldn't see their face, but she was sure they could see hers. "That is an ineffective explanation." The same booming voice said again, coldly, but in such a formal way too._

"_Let me explain." Komui volunteered. "Listen, Desdemona. This is a story only known to the Black priests and the Vatican…And also, the Earl of Millennium. It all started nearly a century ago…one cube was found and it began there. That cube, was the first Innocence found and on it, recorded a message from our ancestors. It said 'To our descendants…we won against the darkness, and some were destroyed. As you travel along, trouble will surely arise, to prevent this trouble, we leave you with this message.' The message was an instruction on how to use this substance, called Innocence. It was called 'God's Crystal' on the cube, we call it the 'Innocence'. That's the substance you are holding right now, in your hand."_

_Desdemona looked down at her hand, at the shining half-cube-with-rings._

"_We process the Innocence and turn it into weaponry. The weapons created are called anti-akuma weapons because they have the ability to destroy akumas, machines made from Dark Matter. On the cube, it was recorded that the maker of the cube used the Innocence and faced against the evil, the Millennium Earl. It was said that they succeeded but in the end, the world was destroyed. It happened about 700- years ago and in the old testament, it was referred to as 'Noah's Great Flood'. However, the cube tells us that those were the 'Three Days of Darkness'. According to the cube's prediction, the world is bound to meet its end at the hands of the Millennium Earl."_

_Desdemona processed the information given. The situation is a lot clearer now. But what does it have to do with her?_

"_So far, the cube's prophecy is correct. The earl has returned to this world. Due to the cube's prophecy coming true, the Vatican decided to follow the Cube's message. This is the revival of the Innocence and the Black Priests. The cube said, 'Father then apostles! One Innocence brings forth one apostle. An apostle is a compatible person. Without an Innocence-compatible person, the power of the Innocence cannot be used'. And those Innocence compatible people…are you exorcists."_

_The little girl looked down at the Innocence in her hand. She sort of gets it now. They need her to help them defeat the Millennium Earl because she, somehow, is the only person who can use this Innocence._

"_The Earl hasn't forgotten the past either He has created armies to destroy God. Those are the akuma. If the Innocence is the white then Dark Matter is the black. Akumas are made from Dark Matter, but with just Dark, it's a dead machine. That's why the Millennium makes use of a human's weak heart and trick them into summoning their dead loved ones' soul into the machinery. With that, the soul of the dead will be forever trapped inside the machinery until the akuma is defeated by Innocence. The more it evolves the stronger it gets. The Earl wants to destroy the Innocence and stop its revival._

"_There are 109 Innocence in total but were scattered during Noah's Great Flood. We are to find all the Innocence and find all the compatible people to form an army and counter the Earl's army. The Earl, on the contrary, is on the move to find the compatible people and the Innocence and destroying them. It's a race to obtain the Innocence. If we lose the race, the end will be just as the prophecy foretold."_

_Desdemona finally gets it now. So these people want her to help them fight against the Millennium Earl not only because she was one of the few people who can use this power but also one of the few people who can defeat their enemy. So, by the sound of it, she is pretty important to them. If she is important to them…she might be able to ask them of a few favors before she agrees to help them. She was important, right? Well that is a wealth in itself, she was never wealthy nor important, so when the chance presents itself, she will definitely seize it._

"_Fight! That is your duty as one who has been chosen by the Innocence." Another voice, different from the one before, said from the high platform where the people-on-weird-chairs were._

"_Please wait a second." The little girl said to the five important looking people. They seem to have the most authority here. "Does that mean I will be required to stay and work for the Order?"_

_The Generals didn't answer, instead, Komui did. "Yes. That's the case."_

_Desdemona shrugged. "I'm sorry, then I will not do it." The whole place fell silent._

_One of the people sitting up under the spotlights suddenly stood up, as if in anger. The one next to him held him back and pushed him back down onto his seat. "May I ask, why is that the case?"_

"_I have a family back in London." She confessed. "They are financially struggling to survive. I cannot just leave them there."_

_The calm one thought about it. "Then, what would you like to do about it?"_

_Desdemona smiled, that one's smart. "If I join you, I will not be able to help them. The Church is spread world-wide, right? Then will it be a problem if you could please rent five horses a week from Chapman's Horse rental in London?"_

"_Five horses? Each week? That'd ridiculous, why should we ever rent horses from a small, unknown, horse stable?" The one who angrily stood up said in exasperation. _

"_No. We will rent horse from that place. In fact, from now on, all horses needed for use in Europe will be rented from there. No, better yet, we will buy that stable and employ the people there as the keepers. We will move all the horses in the Headquarters to that place to be taken care of. Please do not worry, those people there will be paid generously."_

_Desdemona smiled even wider. That's better than she expected. "Thank you, Mister. That'd be very good."_

"_But…" The aggressive one tried to object._

"_We WILL do as I say." The calm one said in a threatening tone. The aggressive one lowered his head and fell silent._

_~x.X.x~_

"_Since you are an exorcist now, you need to know how to use your Innocence and determine which physical form is it most fitted to." Komui said as they headed back to his office. "We don't know what physical form it is most fitted to. You are the only one that knows."_

"_What? How am I supposed to know?" Desdemona asked._

_Komui shrugged. "The Innocence will tell you that."_

"_What?"_

_Komui turned around. "Well, let's start at the beginning. When you think of thunder, what weapon do you think of?"_

_Thunder…makes a loud noise…that sounds like…something Bidelia used…something…like…a whip. A whip. "How about a whip?" Desdemona suggested._

_Komui made a face that obviously said: how did you come up with that? But through his lips, he said, "A whip, interesting. Let me try making that Innocence into a whip…"_

* * *

Fate. It is really cruel. It seems to enjoy destroying hope and watches in delight as people wallow in their despair. It really seems to enjoy it, that's why it sets up so many 'coincidences' and 'accidents' to drive someone into an inevitable situation. And in that particular situation fate itself had set up, fate will give that person hope, hope that is so close that he could almost reach out and touch; but fate destroys that hope just before you could touch it. Despair comes so quickly and severely. The pain amplified by the fact that hope was destroyed while it was so close to him, while it was within his reach…_He_ was the one who allowed fate to destroy it. That's what makes it so painful.

Soman sat unmovingly in front of Allen. He is nothing more than an empty shell, with no soul.

Suddenly, Soman's body bursted into a pool of flesh and blood. "Soman? …" Allen breathed. He stared at the unmoving pile of Soman's remains.

The white-haired exorcist felt a very dark presence behind him so he gradually and cautiously turned his head to glance behind. There, standing behind him, was a man in his twenties. He was wearing a top hat, a black coat down to his knees and black dress pants. He wore white gloves over his two extended hands. A row of pointy, dark crosses were lined up on his forehead.

Allen recognized this man from Soman's memories. He was the one who killed Soman's comrades and the one who used Soman's will to live as a tool for his defection. He was a Noah.

"Come, Tease." The man said gently but yet in a commanding tone. _Spurt._ Allen looked back to Soman's remains. From within the flesh and blood, butterfly-like creatures appeared. The first few that appeared flew to the man and hundreds more followed. They all flew into the man's palms where there seemed to be two black-holes and sucked in everything. As the butterflies all disappeared into the man's palms, Allen looked back at where Soman should be. There was nothing left of him.

The man smiled. "Bye bye, Soman." Allen turned back at the man with hatred in his eyes. The man opened his two palms and two extremely large butterfly-like creatures appeared while the man muttered something about growing bigger.

"You! What did you do?" Allen questioned the man. The man looked up with confusion in his eyes, as if just noticing the boy's existence. "What? Aren't you that cheating boy 'A'?"

"Huh?" Allen replied in confusion.

"Oh I see. You probably can't recognize me as I am now. I actually though you might have. Could you actually be Allen Walker?" The man ranted to himself.

Allen gritted his teeth in anger. He lifted his arm and took a swipe across the man's face. His left hand hit the man in the face while at the same time, knocking the man's top hat off his head. Allen's left hand fell back beside him limply as it shook uncontrollably. _It hurts. _"Cut the crap! What did you do to Soman? Why did you kill him! Answer me!"

The man rubbed his swollen cheek and smiled playfully. "He was my enemy, shouldn't I kill him?" The man sat down on the ground with crossed-legs. "Since you wanted to know about my power, I'll tell you about it. This butterfly thing is called a Tease. It's a golem that the Earl made. Blah blah blah…"

Allen looked down and frowned. This is bad. With his body like that, he couldn't even stand, let alone fight. _If only I was stronger…if I was stronger…_

"Blah blah blah. But those are just a tool and my ability…is this." The man lifted a hand and stabbed his arm into Allen's chest. Allen was woken up from his thoughts. "Don't worry, boy. You won't feel any pain. My body can pass through anything except for what I want to touch. So let's say that perhaps, while I'm pulling out my hand I think to myself that I want to touch your heart…" The man said as he gradually pulled out his hand. "Without making a cut on your body…I can take hold of your heart and rip it out. I can take out your heart while you're still alive."

Allen widened his eyes as he felt something close over his heart. "How do you think that'll feel?" The man continued. "This is how your friends died. Boy. Will you die too?" The man closed his hand tighter around the boy's chest and looked up with a triumphant smile on his face. But it altered when he saw the boy's expression.

Allen stared straight into the man's eyes with no hint of fear or despair anywhere on his face.

Fate and this man enjoyed seeing people suffer. Then he will not let fate nor this man see him suffer, despair nor fear.

The man blinked in shock then boredom. He withdrew his hand without causing any harm to Allen. "You ruined my fun. I won't take it. My gloves would get dirty anyway. That's why I usually let the tease eat them. Soman cooperated with me a bit, so I turned him into a nursery for the tease. Thanks to him, there are a few more of them now."

The man retrieved something from his pocket. Something like a poker card. "Too bad boy, I wanted to play cards with you again. If we met at another time… But right now, I'm wandering around killing the people who are connect with a certain man." The Noah looked at the card, it was floating by itself. "Boy. Are you 'Allen Walker'?"

* * *

Desdemona stood up again, for the millionth time that night. She couldn't sleep, no matter what, she couldn't sleep. Maybe she slept too much in the day, maybe she wasn't used to sleeping on the train. But that can't be, she had fallen asleep more easily on the train than her own bed. What on earth is wrong with her? There's something that's bothering her, what is it? She paced the length of the train cabin, back and forth, back and forth.

"Calm down, silly girl!" General Klaud said with annoyance in her voice. Because of Desdemona's constant pacing, the General couldn't get any sleep either. The General took out her pure silver pocket watch, it's already 1:24 in the morning and the two of them haven't slept a wink. "Stay still! Stay still!" Klaud used an overused phrase from her beast-taming years.

"Master, but I can't! There's something going on out there. I don't know what it is. It's so irritating. There's nothing I _could_ do but everything I _should_ do. And I don't even know what I am _supposed_ to do." Desdemona opened her mouth and an avalanche of words fell out. She doesn't even know what she was talking about. She frowned at herself in dismay.

"Just what are you blabbering about?" Klaud asked with a frown of her own.

"It's…It's…" Desdemona struggled for the correct words to explain what she think was going on with her…but came up with none. She sighed in frustration. Luckily, they had the whole entire carriage to themselves so her behaviour didn't disturb any other passengers. "Master. Just…don't mind me. You should get some sleep before we get to Moscow."

"As if I can sleep with you pacing around like that." Klaud rolled her eyes.

Desdemona sighed and shook her head. "Just…I said…Just don't mind me, Master."

Klaud sighed and closed her eyes.

Desdemona started pacing again. _Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack._ In the totally silent train carriage, the sound of her heavy boots hitting against the floor became extremely loud. At first it was bearable, but it became louder and louder to the point that she herself can't even stand it anymore, so she took her boots off and pace around with only the bandages on her feet.

The loudness wasn't because of the silence of the carriage, but actually because her footsteps have become a lot more frantic.

With the boots off, the paced at a quite inhuman speed around the carriage. All the while, her brain was filled with either things that she doesn't even understand or a montage that went by too fast so therefore lost its meaning.

_**Lenalee…Allen…Lavi. What are they doing now? Is Allen OK? Was my dream even real? It felt so real though. But that pain…was so intense. Allen…is there something happening?**_

_Calm down._

Desdemona stopped in her tracks. That voice…

_**You again. Who are you?**_

_That doesn't matter. The Allen Walker you are talking about…compatible with Crowned Clown…_

_**Allen? Crowned Clown? Is that the name of his Innocence?**_

_That's not the main point. Stop pouncing on every detail I say and just listen._

_**But…Allen? What happened?**_

_That's why I said LISTEN! _

…

_Will you lend us your power?_

_**What?**_

_You can help…if you lend us your power._

_**How?**_

_You don't need to know how, just answer me. Will you lend us your power?_

…

_Will you?_

… … _**Fine, even though I don't even know what you mean.**_

…

All of a sudden, Desdemona felt her head getting light and her legs giving out. Her body felt extremely tired and weak. One last thought popped into her head before everything went dark…

_**Allen…**_

* * *

**I put this story as a romance story and there isn't much romance going on…I'll quickly skip to the Asia branch part and then quickly skip the arc so that they'll be back together and I can start doing some fluffy stuff. Since I don't read heaps and heaps of shoujo manga, if anyone else has fluffy moment ideas, please, please, please tell me! I need help from your guys!**

**If you're like me and don't read lots of fluffy stuff, then help by reviewing and point out my mistakes! Please!**

REVIEW!

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	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader , All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads **

Chapter 12 already!

Promotional ads here: AU DGM Fanfic, Serus Crucis Academy, Story id: 6685125; my 100 Themes Challenge, story id: 6733570

This chapter is very…I don't know. It's supposed to explain a lot of things but you get more confused after you read it. Just bear with the confusion for now. It'll become clear later on. I think I confused myself. The thing is, I have this plot planned out but I'm having trouble remembering what you guys know and not know. So if you do not understand something, ask me so I'll know if I missed out on any crucial details.

Also, since this chapter made the plot so vague, any guesses on the plotline are welcome! Tell me your guesses, I want to know!

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

_Desdemona looked up. The moon is so large. This world…it's unlike reality. Where is she? She looked around. She was standing on what seemed like the water's surface. But above her, another water's surface rippled. There was nothing around her, just darkness. _

_Above her, above the upper water's surface, was a forest. The world was black there, there was a white forest around the water and a large, white moon. She looked down, the lower world was white. For as far as she could see, it was just ruins…ruins of buildings. A familiar building. She doesn't remember. The moon there was black against a white sky._

_There's no one around._

_She doesn't need anyone. Everyone who she could depend on is gone. She will not depend on anyone else, for fear of losing them too. She would depend on herself and only herself, that way, if she should fall away, she's got nothing to lose. Nothing to grieve. Nothing to keep her will of survival going. She wasn't supposed to exist anyway. She was always the extra one…the one that's not supposed to be. For that reason, she had always thought that under normal circumstances Bidelia would've abandoned her. Chase too, it would be normal for him to hate her. But they didn't…_

_She doesn't care. She didn't understand why she bothered to take so much effort to live on until now. She could've easily given up back then…and just let herself slip away._

_Maybe it was her rebellious personality…inherited from Bidelia. She wasn't going to give in to fate, the fate that always goes against her every time, everywhere. She's not going to give in to it so easily._

_She's…fighting fate…_

_And she's loosing._

_Ripples. She felt the ripples in the water above her. There, peering down from a rock, was…Allen. Allen, what is he doing here._

_She looked down. There was something there that wasn't there before. Lenalee…she was sitting on top of the ruins, crying…by herself._

_Lenalee…Lenalee was kind to her the first day she came into the Order. Lenalee's older, so back in those days, she saw her as an older sister figure. She told herself before, she will not get attached to anyone anymore._

_Something is always ringing at the back of her head. If I do…It'll hurt like that again, all over again._

_Just like always, she'd rip out these longings to have someone to depend on before they can embed themselves into her heart. Just like always, she'd put on a smile, a true-looking smile, because she'd tricked herself into thinking she's fine. Then…the lie would wear off…usually during the night…the pain settles in._

_It's better that way, she doesn't want to let anyone in._

_The water above rippled again. She looked up. Allen was trying to reach down. By his expression, the girl was sure he didn't see her. He saw Lenalee._

_There was this sudden nervous feeling in her chest. She felt like…she felt that if Allen reached through that water, he'd break into the walls she's set up. She needs to get away before he gets in, even when he didn't even notice her existence._

_Run away._

_So she ran further into the darkness, away from those two people._

_Away from the two people that she knew from the bottom of her heart, was important to her._

_Away from them who, she was convinced, did not see her at all._

_Because she was still hiding, even until now, behind the walls she built right back then._

_She ran further into the darkness._

~x.X.x~

"_Get ready!" General Klaud's harsh voice commanded. Desdemona wiped the side of her mouth with her forearm. There is a lot of akumas in this area. What is the General thinking? Leaving all those akumas to her._

_She just got her weapon a month ago, through another one of these near-death-experience-makes-you-learn sessions. Her master also told her to put weights on her shoes. It's really hard to move in. She doesn't even know how to use Thora yet. And still, the heartless General just pushed her in front of a million akumas._

_The akumas attacked, she dodged. That's what she's been doing for the past hour._

"_Stop dodging! You won't get anywhere if you just dodge!" The General commanded._

_Desdemona dodged another round of bullets. Master was right, she won't get anywhere if she keeps on dodging, her legs are getting sore from the extra weights and she's just tiring herself out._

_As she continued to dodge while looking for an alternative way of getting through this, the General put her forehead into her palm. She doesn't know how to properly synchronize with her Innocence yet and it's not something that the General could teach her. Maybe Lau could…_

_The said (thought) monkey patted the General's cheek to get her attention. After it succeeded, it made a series of different squeaks. Klaud seemed to understand it._

"_You mean, we should just let her worn herself out and let her be in a dangerous situation? That way her Innocence would invocate? But what if the Innocence doesn't respond? Doesn't that mean she'll die?"_

_Lau didn't reply. It was unsure itself._

_Desdemona supported herself on her knees. She can't move anymore, her legs felt like solid lead. She can't dodge another round of bullets, they will hit her and it will be all over. She couldn't even stand anymore. She fell to her knees._

_The slow-moving akumas took the chance and surrounded her. They raised their guns and pointed them all at the girl. She was doomed._

_Her hand involuntarily travelled to her hip, where Thora hung on her belt. What's the use of it anyways? She doesn't know, but something was telling her to get that whip out._

_The akumas didn't waste a moment. After they have aimed properly, they fired._

I'm going to die._ Thought Desdemona, quite calmly, oddly. But then, everything seemed to go in slow motion. Desdemona looked around in confusion as the bullets neared her at an extremely slow speed. _

_**Fight on.**_

_A voice said. Desdemona frowned in confusion._

_**Fight.**_

_All of a sudden, a strong will to survive kicked in from somewhere within her. Something felt extremely familiar, but during the brief moment, she couldn't figure out what. But it smelt…nice._

_She didn't have time to dwell on that. She shook her head, something was telling her what to do. No, it's not telling her, it's putting the information straight into her head. Suddenly, she knew what to do._

_She pulled out her whip, everything still in slow motion. She used the skills, that she half-heartedly taught herself so long ago, to accurately manipulate the whip, redirecting all the bullets with one 360 swipe. Then, time continued on._

_The redirected bullets didn't hit the girl, instead, they hit the other akumas. Several of them roared in rage. _

_Desdemona panted heavily. She felt the handle of the whip heat up in her hand. She knew what to do. She temporarily closed her eyes to concentrate. Power, she felt power. She grabbed hold of it and held on tight._

_General Klaud watched her student's near death experience. Lau wouldn't budge when she told it to save the girl. However, after she saw the miraculous turn of events, she was relieved that Lau didn't move. The girl redirected the bullets in one, extremely fast swipe. Klaud smiled to herself, God may still be with them, after all._

_The General looked up. The akumas were also in disarray. Several of them were taken back by their fellow akumas' bullets, some were shocked and some were confused. Klaud looked back at her student. She had her eyes closed but a frown was present in her expression as if she's trying to concentrate on something. The whip in her hand started glowing green, as anti-akuma weapons do when they are activated. It was first a faint green light, but it gradually grew stronger until it lit up the forest around them._

_Desdemona reopened her eyes. She felt power surging up from within her, and she knew, somehow, that this power is able to defeat these akumas. She took another swipe, this time, the whip extended and wrapped around a shocked Level 1 akuma. She yanked on the whip and turned herself on the spot. The akuma being restrained by the whip crashed into several other ones and the domino effect continued. About 6 or 7 of them crashed into the side of a cliff and they exploded into dust._

_The whip deactivated and the girl blinked as if she just woke up from a dream. She turned to look at the General, who gave her a nod. Extremely happy, the girl put her arms up into the air and jumped around. "Yay! I did it! I did it!"_

_Behind Klaud, another group of 5 akumas appeared. The extremely happy and proud girl smiled cockily. "Let me get them!" As she activated her whip again, she thrust the whip and it wrapped around an akuma. She wanted to throw it into the cliff behind her. She yanked on the leather, it stretched and loosened as the force drove the akuma above and over her head in the opposite direction. The girl first watched in satisfaction but her expression was soon replaced by horror as the whip did not unwrap around the akuma. As the 2 ton machine continued to sail towards the cliff, the leather tightened once again and soon, the girl was dragged after the akuma._

_The two, akuma and exorcist, crashed into the cliff. The akuma burst into dust while the girl lay at the bottom of it with stars circling her head. Klaud facepalmed. This girl needs some serious training. She has to add on to the weights too._

_She sighed. At the meantime, she should really just get rid of these bothersome akumas._

* * *

_Where am I?_

Desdemona opened her eyes. It's this place again. It's just dark. Nothing.

_**This is another dream? Maybe I should wake up…**_

_Don't try to get up. You are still weak._

_**Who exactly are you?**_

_Do you want to know?_

_**Of course. You sound so familiar…**_

_I'll show you…_

_~x.X.x~_

_"Do you have any idea on where the other half might be?" Klaud inquired as she sat before Komui's desk. Komui had his fingered weaved together beneath his chin. He looked down seriously before shaking his head._

_"We don't even know how the Innocence got split in half anyway. It may have happened during Noah's flood when the Innocence were scattered. If that's the case, then it could be anywhere. Another possibility is that a Noah split it with Dark Matter. We found traces of Dark Matter on the Innocence and strangely enough, the two substances did not try to cancel each other out as normally they would. However, it was extremely odd as the Noahs won't leave an Innocence like that and be satisfied. If the Noah who split it did it on purpose, then the other half would probably be on their side."_

_"So there's no way of retrieving it?"_

_"Maybe there is a way. Or there may be a possibility that the Noah who split it put the other half somewhere safe. Whoever it may be, their actions were quite odd."_

_"Where did you find the other half, then?"_

_"I'm not sure. It was found before I became the chief."_

_"…"_

_The two dove into their own thoughts._

_"It's quite miraculous that she could invocate half an Innocence. It was able to destroy the akumas as well. Almost as if just the half was enough." The Supervisor thought out loud._

_"You're right. The power of the whip is no less than that of the other anti-akuma weapons. If that is the case, then if she acquires the other half, her powers may double." The General added._

_"The Innocence, it's such a mysterious thing." Komui looked up dreamily into the ceiling._

_Klaud agreed in silence._

~x.X.x~

_**That's right. Even until now, the Innocence in Thora is just a half of an Innocence. The other half was never found.**_

_You're wrong._

_**What?**_

_You're wrong._

~x.X.x~

_"Bidelia!" Mony called out as she ran down the side of the hill to reach the woman sitting on the grass watching the sunset. The woman turned around to see the girl. She extended both arms towards the girl with a gentle smile as the girl flung herself into the woman's embrace._

_"Haha…Geez, run slower next time, Mony." Bidelia laughed._

_"I finally found you, Bidelia! You just disappeared after that new tiger scratched you." The girl said in concern. "Is your arm better now?" She looked to the woman's bandaged arm._

_Bidelia smiled. "It's ok. I'm used to it anyways. And I still have to get it tamed before Christmas, right? Cosmo expected me to be able to put it on show by then."_

_"That stupid Cosmo! Always asking of us such impossible tasks. He should just go die in a hole and go to hell!" The aggravated girl pouted._

_Bidelia frowned. "Mony! Don't talk like that. It's not lady-like! And plus he's your fath-"_

_"HE'S NOT!" The girl removed herself from the woman and stood before her. Her hands were balled into fists. Bidelia blinked in surprise. "I am Bidelia's and only Bidelia's daughter. I have no father, I just have mama!"_

_Bidelia's eyes softened as she heard the name the girl used to call her when she was still a young kid. She didn't remember when the girl started calling her by her name. The woman extended her arms again. This time, she grabbed the girl by her wrists and gently pulled her into a hug. "Yeah. You are my daughter." Bidelia smiled sadly._

_"I don't want to be a lady either. I don't care about how I talk. I just want to be with Bidelia forever and ever. And when Chase and I grow up, we can both protect you. And we can get out of here and live on our own!"_

_Bidelia laughed lightly. "Sure! When you two grow up, we will leave this place, ok?"_

_Mony smiled and nodded enthusiastically. Bidelia looked back at the horizon, Mony followed. The sunset is really beautiful, it tinted the sky a million different colours. A million different warm colorus._

_"Mony."_

_The girl looked up. Bidelia still stared towards the horizon. Mony got off Bidelia's laps and knelt on the grass before the woman. Bidelia reached behind her neck. She fiddled with something before pulling out a necklace from within her collar._

_"Come." She beckoned. Mony leaned in closer to Bidelia. The woman then put the necklace around Mony's neck._

_"This necklace. Someone very important to me gave it to me. And now I'll give it to you. Don't ever take it off."_

_"But, Bidelia, why are you giving it to me?"_

_"Because…I think I won't be able to wear it anymore…"_

_"Why?"_

_Bidelia looked down sadly. "Don't worry about that." She looked back up to stare into the girl's eyes. "Remember, don't lose it. It's really special." Mony nodded. Bidelia smiled._

_Mony looked down. This necklace, Bidelia always had it around her neck, for exactly how long no one knows. It was a silver chain, three stars hung from it, that was the pendant. They were arranged vertically, the top one was bronze, the middle silver and the last one was gold. It was very small but Mony thought it was very pretty. She looked up at Bidelia._

_"Bidelia?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Who gave you this necklace?"_

_"Do you remember how I told you I learnt the piano when I was young?"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"Well, I had a teacher…"_

_"A piano teacher?"_

_"Yeah, he came to our house often to teach me. He was a good man."_

_"And he gave you the necklace?"_

_Bidelia gave a distant look, her expression was a mixture of nostalgia and sadness. "Yes. He gave me the necklace."_

_"How old were you back then, Bidelia?"_

_"Oh, I was young, 18."_

_"What's his name?"_

_"Him?" Bidelia smiled to herself. "Neah Walker."_

~x.X.x~

_**What is this? What's this got to do with anything?**_

_Do you still not understand?_

Desdemona opened her eyes in surprise. This voice…this voice is…

_**Bidelia?**_

_That is what you hear. Try again. Try to figure it out. Relate everything together._

_**Why don't you just tell me? Are you Bidelia?**_

_I cannot just simply tell you. Try to figure it out yourself. I cannot tell you._

~x.X.x~

_"No, I cannot foresee the child's future." Hevlaska said._

_Komui supported his chin with his fingers and looked thoughtfully to the floor. Hevlaska's predictions are always correct. It is also rare for her to not be able to see a person's future. It's not that the child will die early either, Hevlaska would have foresaw that._

_"It's not that she'll die early." Hevlaska echoed Komui's thoughts. "It's like something is stopping me from being able to see it. Some other force."_

_"Some other force?" Komui repeated._

_"Yes. It feels vaguely familiar. Like…the Innocence."_

_"You mean, her Innocence is stopping you from seeing her future?"_

_"I'm not sure. There's something else in there as well, something I can't tell what."_

_"That's very odd." Komui said._

_Hevlaska stayed silent. After a few moments, Komui turned around to walk out. "Thanks Hevlaska!" He called back._

_"That child…she's odd." Hevlaska suddenly said. Komui stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. "No…not odd. She may be special."_

_The Supervisor thought over Hevlaska's words as he walked out._

~x.X.x~

_**When did that happen?**_

_The day you first entered the Order._

_**How do you know?**_

_Keep guessing._

~x.X.x~

_"Miss Bidelia! Mr. Walker has come!" A maid called down a long corridor._

_From the end door, a young maiden with long, ebony black hair appeared. She was Eurasian. The young maiden hurried rushed towards the maid. "Theresa! Do I look ok?"_

_The maid smiled at the young mistress. "Yes, Miss Bidelia. You look startling. Every man would have fallen head-over heels for you. Including Mr. Walker."_

_"Oh! Please do not tease me, Theresa. He IS my teacher, after all."_

_"Miss Bidelia, what I say is the truth. You should've seen the way Mr. Walker looks at you while you're not looking. I believe he is infatuated with you."_

_"Bidelia! What are you doing? Making Mr. Walker wait. No more chit-chat, downstairs you go!" An older woman appeared at the other side of the corridor. She was Chinese._

_"Yes, mother!" Bidelia answered with formality before glancing at Theresa, the maid, who gave an encouraging smile, before rushing down a large set of stairs._

_Do~_

_Mr. Walker was, indeed, already here. He just played a note on the piano._

_Bidelia picked up her dress, which was slowing her down, and skipped down the stairs. As she finally reached the bottom, she saw her father talking with Mr. Walker beside the piano. As the two noticed the young maiden's arrival, they both turned to her._

_Bidelia timidly walked towards them. She was aware of Mr. Walker's stare on her and the small, gentle smile that graced his lips. He is really handsome…_

_"Well, then I'll leave my daughter to you." Her father said as he left the hall. Bidelia is left with her teacher._

_"Bidelia." The girl looked up to the man. "Shall we start?"_

_The two of them sat down at the piano, both of them sharing the same piano stool. Bidelia blushed._

_"Mr. Walker-" She started._

_"It's just the two of us, just call me Neah." He interrupted. His smile never faded. He took a strand of the girl's hair. "I love your hair. It's so silky. I believe that if you have a daughter, she will inherit your beautiful hair."_

_Bidelia blushed. "Neah! Don't say that. I'll get embarrassed."_

_Neah laughed. "Play for me, will you?"_

_Bidelia lifted her hands and started playing the melody Neah taught her. He said that this tune is special so she shouldn't be playing it around other people. But still, he was still insistent on teaching her the tune. It was important to him._

_It was important to _him_. So she made it important to _her_, because _he_ is important to her._

_Neah closed his eyes as he listened to the all too familiar tune. He bore a sort of hatred towards it as well, but it is important. It is important to pass it on to someone._

_After the final note was played, Bidelia removed her hands from the keys. She glanced to the side, Neah had his eyes closed. She waited patiently until the teacher reopened his eyes and sighed._

_"Why…why does it sound sad?" she asked._

_"There are lyrics to that song." Neah said, mostly to himself. "Do you want to know?"_

_Bidelia nodded._

_"So the little infant fell into a deep sleep._

_Among the grey ashes in the flames shining...First one, then two..._

_Surfaces numerous of your faces_

_A thousand dreams trickle back to the earth_

_On the night when the silver eyes were trembling, the shining you was born_

_Across millions of years, the prayers have already returned back to the earth_

_I will still continue to pray_

_Please bestow upon this child your love_

_Upon our joined hands, leave a gentle kiss"_

_Bidelia listened to the lyrics. "It is sad."_

_Neah smiled. "Yes…it is. It's almost like a mother praying for her child…as if she knew she won't be able to stay with it…"_

_"That must feel awful." Bidelia commented._

_Neah glanced at the maiden. "Maybe one day…one day you will be able to know how it feels."_

_She looked at him with confused eyes. "What do you mean, Neah?"_

_He pulled a small box out from his pocket and gave it to Bidelia. She looked at it hesitantly. Neah held it closer to her encouragingly. She blushed…his smile is so angelic. She took the box and opened it. She gasped. Inside, was a small pendant on a chain. The chain was silver while the pendant was three vertically arranged stars. The top one bronze, centre one silver and the last one gold. Even though it is small, it's quite detailed._

_"Here, I'll help you put it on." Neah offered, he took the necklace out from the box and unclasped the hook. He then put his arms around the girl as he helped her put the necklace on. While that's happening, Bidelia's face heated up until it was as red as a tomato._

_Neah leant back after he finished clasping the hook. The red-faced Bidelia looked down at the necklace._

_"Promise me that you will never take it off." Neah suddenly grabbed her hand and forced her to look into his eyes. She nodded. "And if you for any reason cannot wear it anymore, give it to someone you trust." She nodded obediently._

_As if relieved, he withdrew his hand from hers. She relaxed._

_"The necklace…it's very special. It is not made from gold, bronze or silver. It is made of a substance called Innocence."_

_"I have never heard of that substance."_

_"Well, don't worry about it, most people haven't heard of that substance. That aside, please leave this country and go to England."_

_"Why?"_

_"Trust me. Go to England." He said as he stood up and retrieved his coat and hat._

_"You're going already?"_

_"There's nothing more I can teach to you. You have already learnt all that I know. And that song, you know that song right? And I believe you will not forget it."_

_She nodded._

_"Then I'll be leaving. Go to England, don't stay here. It may get dangerous."_

_She frowned. What is he talking about? She followed him to the door. He extended a hand to open the door but suddenly stopped. He turned back to her. "If you happen to have a daughter later on in your life. No matter who her father is, don't despise her. I'm asking you to treat her like you would treat my child, ok?"_

_Bidelia was extremely confused now. What IS he talking about? But at the mention of HIS child, she blushed for the millionth time._

_Suddenly, he leaned down to kiss her cheek. She widened her eyes. He whispered in her ear. "This might be the last time we see each other, Bidelia. Thank you for these past years. Good bye." She was shocked, she was so shocked that she couldn't even move._

_With extremely graceful movements, she watched him exit the mansion, closing the door behind him. She was paralysed. As soon as she found her senses again, she rushed to the door, opened it and looked outside._

_Neah was nowhere to be seen._

~x.X.x~

_**Bidelia's necklace…it's a piece of Innocence?**_

_Yes…_

_**Then why hadn't Hevlaska noticed it when she examined me?**_

_Because it was the same one…_

_**What?**_

_Do you still not understand?_

_**No.**_

_You…are helpless._

~x.X.x~

_A man with dark skin and a row of black crosses across his forehead stood in the forest, waiting for something. He had slightly spiky, dark brown hair._

_Another man appeared from a bush, he had similar features with the first man, only he had long, curly hair tied into a low pony tail with a ribbon._

_"Neah. You said to find a bird…" the long haired man said as he approached the man called Neah. As he neared, he opened his two loosely clasped hands slightly, revealing a small bird inside._

_"Thanks Mana. You were always the one good at handling these small animals. I often kill them by accident."_

_"Are you going to tie that to it?"_

_Neah pulled out a small glowing container out from his pocket. Inside the small container was what looked like a half-cube surrounded by a half-ring. The cube was glowing green. Mana opened his hands a bit further, big enough for Neah to tie the small container to the bird's feet and small enough for the bird to not escape._

_"This way, the Order will probably find it before the Millennium Earl does. Their headquarters is just above that mountain and they have a lot of finders on patrol around here."_

_"Why do you want the Order to find it? And why only half of it?"_

_"Because I need to use the other half."_

_After Neah finished tying the container, Mana opened his hands fully and let the bird fly away._

_The two of them first watched the bird fly away and when it flew out of sight, Neah started walking away, "Let's go."_

_The bird flew towards the dense forest, just as the Noah predicted._

_A finder yawned, it was tiring to be on patrol. There won't be anything around anyway._

_He was instantly proved wrong as he saw something glowing green flying in the air. He rubbed his eyes, was he hallucinating?_

_That green glow was familiar, it looked like the glow of Innocence._

_Immediately, he took out a bow and arrow and aimed a shot at the glowing green dot. It seemed to hit something and the green dot fell down. The finder ran to the spot where he saw it fell to find a dead bird with an arrow through it and a glowing green container tied to its leg. The finder hurriedly untied the container and looked at it closer. He gasped. It looks like the Innocence as well._

_He didn't waste another second. He took off towards the Headquarters._

~x.X.x~

_It was a very dark room. The man named Neah sat at a desk, operating on some small piece of metal. After a while, he leaned back in his chair and held up a necklace. It was on a silver chain, a three-starred pendant hang from the chain. The stars were aligned vertically, top one bronze, middle silver and last one gold in colour._

_Mana came in from the door. "Neah. Is it done?"_

_"Yes, it's finally done. It's now the second key."_

_"Then rest. You have to rest to make sure your body doesn't collapse."_

_"Yeah, Mana." Neah looked down at the floor. "Tomorrow…tomorrow I have to go there again."_

_"You are giving it to her?"_

_"Yeah…"_

_"You…love her, don't you?"_

_"No way! She's just my student. And plus, I taught her the song."_

_Mana smiled knowingly and walked out. Neah shrugged to himself. He held up the pendant once again and examined it. The design…it matches her…petite, elegant, beautiful._

_Neah shook his head and slapped himself mentally, what is he thinking about?_

_It's not like he unconsciously made it to look good on her. It's just that he wanted her to like it and therefore treasure it._

_Yeah…he wanted her to treasure his gift for her…_

_What is this feeling?_

_He is a Noah, right?_

_He shouldn't be feeling it…_

…_but…_

_Maybe Mana is right._

~x.X.x~

Desdemona jerked upright. She felt something sting at several different places in her arm, she heard the loud crash of something next to her falling down, she saw in the corner of her eye that her arm was bleeding. She didn't care.

She was in shock.

She knew…but how? _It_ showed her? Maybe. But…

_Do you understand now?_

…

_Answer me, do you understand now?_

_**Don't use Bidelia's voice.**_

_I'm not using her voice. I don't have a voice, the messages I convey to you are processed by your brain. Whatever voice you hear is the voice that you most want to hear. I'm not using her voice, you are the one who's putting my words into her voice._

_**Shut up.**_

_You still haven't answered my question. Have you figured it out._

_**Who wouldn't have figured it out. **_

The girl glanced down at her necklace.

"You…are the other half of my Innocence." She whispered. She felt it slightly vibrate in response.

SLAM!

Desdemona looked up. The head nurse hurriedly rushed in, muttering a whole lot of things in her mouth. "Thank god you woke up! General Klaud carried you back here, saying that you fainted on the train without any reason and you weren't showing any signs of life! Oh, dear! What did you do to yourself? Did you sit up too quickly and pulled all the needles and tubes out? Look at your arm now! It's bleeding!"

The now fully conscious girl was forced to lie back down. The head nurse dabbed at her arm, cleaning the blood away. "Head Nurse…I am at Headquarter."

"Yes. As I said, General Klaud carried you back without any signs of life. It's a miracle, really." The nurse said as she re-inserted the tubes into the girl. She lay there, her mind going blank.

Her necklace was the other half…she should tell Komui.

_No. Don't tell._

_**Why?**_

_Do not tell. I'll tell you why some time later._

_**If you're going to tell me, just tell me. Don't give me clips of the past and expect me to guess.**_

_You already figured out the part you have to figure out. From now on, I won't let you guess anymore._

_**A Noah split you and put you into this necklace.**_

_Yes._

_**He was Bidelia's piano teacher.**_

_Yes._

_**He taught Bidelia the tune she taught me.**_

_Yes._

_**He gave that necklace to Bidelia and then she gave it to me.**_

_Yes._

_**You are the other half…**_

_Yes…_

_**What do you do? Why can you talk to me?**_

_I am different. Different from my other half. I am a medium of power. You can give power…_

Desdemona widened her eyes. That last phrase…so familiar. The last time she was conscious…

Images quickly flashed across her eyes. Allen. Allen laying in a forest. He was bleeding…a lot. There was a fog around him…his arm…

Allen. Yes, the last time she was conscious, she was plagued with the images of Allen. She remembered his pain. She remembered his screams of agony. She remembered. And then…then…the Innocence asked her to give power…and…it went dark.

Allen. She was sure those pictures were real. Somehow, she knew. She sat up quickly again, detaching some of the tubes the Head Nurse just spent time reattaching, some of the tubes were inserted into some major arteries, so they started bleeding heavily. "Head Nurse! I'm fine. Let me go see Komui!"

The Head Nurse is really the Head Nurse. She called upon her infamous death-glare that would scare patients back into their deathbeds. Under normal circumstances, it would've worked with patients that had a clear head. Not that Desdemona was mentally unclear; she was just too focused on her own thoughts to be scared by the Nurse's glare.

When the Nurse finally realizes that the girl wasn't going to lay back down on her own, she tried to gently push the girl back down by her shoulders. It was a bad decision, because the second her hands touched the girl's shoulders, the girl pushed the Nurse away sharply and stood up.

The Head Nurse stumbled back a few steps to remain balanced while the girl continued to try to walk away. The more weakly attached tubes tore right off while some of the more secured ones held her back. She hissed and looked down at them before carelessly ripping them out with her hands. She walked towards the door, absent-mindedly grabbed her coat and slipped it on before opening the door and walking outside.

She didn't know what's going on with her. There was just one thought in her head: Allen.

Why did she care so much?

Many people die in this line of 'profession', but why was she so concerned? Why did she feel so restless?

Maybe it was the loss of her comrades during the most recent mission. She told herself that it didn't matter, she shouldn't dwell on it for too long.

Whoever she may deceive, she cannot deceive herself. Despite telling herself that it was ok, it may have made a permanent imprint in her heart. She doesn't know herself, really.

_That's not the reason…I believe._

_**Then what?**_

…

Desdemona frowned to herself. Its words are as useless as always.

Soon enough, she found herself outside the corridor of the public laboratory. Komui's office is in there.

She walked through the mountains of paper. A lot of people noticed her and expressed their concern, "Dem! You woke up! But you shouldn't be walking around already!" "Dem! Your arms! They are covered in blood!" "Darmstadtium! What are you doing here?"

The girl ignored all these as if they were just wind passing in from her right ear and coming out from her left ear. She saw the door to Komui's office. She charged (still walking) at it and pushed opened the large doors.

"Komui!" She said.

The said man was sitting at his desk, on the phone. He held a finger up as a signal for the girl to wait a while and continued listened to the handset.

The girl listened with Komui. On the other side of the line, it sounded like the head of the Asia Branch, Bak.

"I knew little of the potential his anti-akuma weapon had…but I didn't anticipate this miracle." Komui said. A miracle? Allen…is this about Allen?

"_A miracle, huh?" _Bak repeated. "_What's astonishing…is that the will of the Innocence is what revived him. Even Allen Walker's Innocence has lost its form, it still lives. He's alive."_

Soon after, Komui hang up the phone. He looked at Desdemona with concern in his eyes. "Dem! Don't walk around like that! You're still weak. And what happened to your arm?"

"I'm fine." She snapped. "Allen…Allen…"

Komui looked to the floor. "He encountered a Noah, I presume. He was found by the Asia branch. There was an open hole in his heart that should have brought his to his death. However…a small fragment of Innocence entered his body. It shouldn't be able to invoke, yet it substituted itself for his cells and closed up the wound…"

Desdemona listened wide-eyed. The pictures, the pain, two unrealistic worlds, the need to run, everything replayed itself inside her. It was all…real.

"He's alive."

~x.X.x~

"I'm…alive."

Allen opened his eyes. He heard vaguely a man discussing his condition on the phone. The rest he wasn't sure about but the last sentence obviously said that he was alive.

He is alive.

Allen sat up slowly. His left arm was missing and his right hand was bandaged by several layers of bandage, which made it useless. He stared blankly down his right hand.

He was sure he should've been killed by the Noah. He felt this sensation…this sensation where it felt like he had to escape but there was no way to escape. That, he was certain, was 'death'.

A drop of tear rolled down his cheek. His right hand shook as more tears flowed out uncontrollably. Why was he crying, he doesn't know either.

Was it because he was grateful to be alive?

Or was he regretting it?

He doesn't know why. He doesn't know why but he just can't stop shaking.

He huddled himself into a ball, hugging his knees tight to his chest. He wanted someone…anyone…

Mana…

~x.X.x~

"Asia Branch?"

Komui nodded.

"I'm going now." She decided so calmly and smoothly but yet so abruptly. Her panicked demeanor just then was nowhere to be seen in her actions. Komui took a mental note. This girl hardly ever shows any weakness towards other people. If she did, it was brief. Brief enough for the other person to forget about it.

Komui wasn't stupid. He understood that she was hiding behind a mask, but from what? Everyone here had a reason for being here, usually not a nice lovey-dovey story. It was respect to not ask, but it is required to understand the past of everyone.

They asked the girl about it long ago, all she said was that she was an orphan as long as she remembered. She did pick-pocketing to earn a living. The Chapman's family were nice enough to give her shelter, but they were struggling financially too. With her profound skills in stealing, she was able to maintain theirs and her basic needs.

But he was sure there was more to her than she lets out. Central didn't ask for more, so he shouldn't dig for more either.

"Dem! You are still weak! You need to know that you were on the brim of death when the General carried you back!" Komui said.

"I'm fine." The girl replied, with her normal quiet, calm-but-clear tone.

"No you're not. And plus, if I let you go, the Head Nurse will kill me!"

"I'm going." She said as she turned around to leave. "May you rest in peace."

"Yeah, thanks. I mean-I'M GOING TO STOP YOU!" Komui said firmly. She turned around and gave him a long hard stare. The unusual serious side of him came out. "I am the Supervisor and you will listen to me. No matter how hard you stare I will not let you have your way."

Desdemona was taken aback, on the inside. He rarely speaks like that. On the outside, she continued to stare and even lifted her chin up a little higher. Komui returned the stare. He, the Supervisor, is not going to lose to a 15 year old girl. Suddenly, Komui remembered the Ace he had in his hands.

"You cannot go without my permission, Desdemona. I have Thora. If you go like that, you will not be able to defend yourself."

Desdemona's brain started working. She was going to try her wits against a genius scientist.

"You can have Thora. You have the piece of Innocence so you won't lose anything. You had it in Hevlaska when I came here anyway. It's not even mine, it's the Order's. I really don't care if I die. But the Order doesn't want me dead. If I die now, you guys might have to wait another thousand years for another person to be compatible, right? So therefore, my life is more important to the Order than Thora or my life is to me. I'm going. If I die, it's your loss."

Komui gritted his teeth. This girl is not stupid…not as easily tricked as some people…like Kanda*. If you tell him you'll destroy Mugen, he'll get mad. Instead of hitting this tricky nail head on, Komui decided to compromise. "Fine, fine. I lose. We will compromise. If you agree to stay for 3 days and let us make sure you are ok, then we'll let you go on the fourth day. If you go before that, then we will make sure that you are brought back. Even if it means tying you up with 8 ropes and pulling you back with 8 trains, we will do it. Is it a deal?"

"2 days."

"3 days."

"2 and a half days."

"3 days."

"3 DAYS!" A voice called out from the doorway of Komui's office. A very, very scary-looking Head Nurse.

Desdemona swallowed. She wasn't thinking properly back then, she just realized what she got herself into. The Head Nurse was infamous for her…her…care of patients.

"Fine. 3 days." Before she could say anymore, she was dragged by the ear by the Head Nurse. It hurts, so she's got to go with the Nurse.

Komui smiled, "Have fun!" He watched as the girl was dragged away into her destined doom by the Nurse. He smiled. He was slightly taken aback when the girl muttered some colourful languages just before the door closed. She's not usually the type of person to do such things...

What was all that about?

Her concern for Allen.

Why does she care about him so much?

* * *

So, confused? If you're not confused then it's good. If you are extremely confused then I've failed.

I really do think I've failed.

Anyways, I need to express by greatest suspicion on the actual DGM series. I have this feeling that Mana IS the Millennium Earl from the time Cross told Allen about Mana. I don't know, it's just this suspicion. And then…I think she's been dropping hints here and there too. Tell me what you think.

Review!

\/


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader , All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads **

Chapter 11 here!

Sorry guys. I realized that in the previous chapter Dem was OOC. I am writing several stories at once and am messing up the character-ness. Sorry. Her correct personality would be back in this chapter…somehow.

Writing this with Versailles' album on loop XD I love them.

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

"Are you done checking already?" Desdemona asked quite impatiently. The Head Nurse was checking her over for any signs of illness. It was weird, they told her that she fainted and barely had any signs of life. It's quite odd; she didn't remember feeling ill…just…just the other half talking to her.

"Be patient!" The nurse commanded. "I'm checking your wound. I did remove the stitches a few days ago but it still needs to be checked again for infection!"

The girl stayed quiet as the Nurse checked her all over again.

It was the third day. They did say that she could go after the 3rd day. It was 11:58 at night, so two minutes left. The Nurse was not going to let her out early, even for a minute. She sighed. Allen…she wondered how he was doing. Komui told her that he woke up three days ago. He also told her that his Innocence saved his life and filled in the hole in his heart. It's now in some foggy form that follows Allen around.

_You should go._

_**I know. That's a bit late, don't you think?**_

_No, I don't think going now is late._

_**No, I'm saying you suggesting that to me was a bit late…**_

_Just go…_

The grandfather clock standing in the hallway struck twelve. The girl and the nurse both heard it from inside the girl's room.

In the blink of an eye, the girl stood up from her bed and got everything ready. She had her coat on, her weapon at her belt and she even packed her luggage. The Head Nurse sighed. She probably prepared her suitcase days beforehand. "Go, go, go." She said in an annoyed tone as she waved the girl away.

The Eurasian girl smiled gently, "Thanks, Head Nurse. I'll be back."

"No, you don't have to come back." The Nurse said sarcastically.

The girl looked around her room once more before heading out the door and closing it behind her.

The Head Nurse stood up and looked around, planning to put anything out of place back into its right spot. There was nothing out of place. In fact, that's the thing that's out of place. The Head Nurse looked to the floor. Teenagers are supposed to have messy rooms, they are supposed to have dirty clothes lying around, they are supposed to have their beds covered in rubbish, and they are supposed to be screamed at by parents or guardians for their messiness. Then, they are supposed to smile sheepishly or argue back, they are supposed to do a speed 'clean up' that actually does nothing at all, they are supposed to then just fall asleep on their dirty beds like nothing in the world worries them.

They are supposed to worry about nothing.

They are supposed to have fun.

They are supposed to enjoy childhood.

But instead of piles of useless junk, all the Head Nurse saw was a small pile of blood stained bandages in the tray beside her. Everything else is clean, too clean, so clean for a child's room that it almost seemed empty, cold, even. Like no one is living here at all, no signs to suggest that this may be a home.

The Nurse suddenly felt that if she looked into the wardrobe, she may again find some signs of life. She walked over to the tall, wooden furniture and opened it. Inside, there was one uniformed coat that was for backup and a plain, black coat hanging on the horizontal bar. Underneath, a neatly folded pile of white shirt sat on the wood. Two rolls of extra bandage stood beside the shirts.

This room…made the Nurse realize something that was a part of everyday life. Every day she spent with the Order and the exorcists. Every day she was reminded of that something, until the point that that little acknowledgement simply fades out into neglect.

God is cruel. The World is cruel. Must they ask children to fight with their lives on the line? Must they put the burden of the entire world on their small shoulders? Must they rob them of their own childhood, or maybe even adulthood, even their very life?

She was powerless, she was weak. She was not chosen by God, that was a blessing in itself. However, she remembered the reason she is where she is now. Because even if she can't fight like them, she may still offer some insignificant support. She, at lease, can provide them with a safe place they can return to when they're hurt. She can at least help them with their recovery if they are hurt. At least she could let them know they are not fighting alone.

But…that's all she could do. That's all the Headquarter could do. That's all the thousands of people supporting the Church could do.

The Head Nurse sighed. That girl, that girl should take care of herself.

She better take care of herself.

* * *

Bak led Allen into a large open space within the Asia branch. Allen looked around, there were peculiar patterns on the walls surrounding him. Especially the one behind him. It looked like some sort of electricity circuit.

"This place is where we were before the room with the sealed door…What will we be doing here?" Allen asked Bak.

"You'll be fighting a serious battle." Bak said. Allen looked to Bak and Wong standing 5 meters away in a dark corner. Bak looked past Allen at the wall behind him. "Fou!"

Allen waited in confusion.

"Man, this is troublesome." A voice said from behind the white-haired boy. It was accompanied by the sound of electricity crackling. "It's not my job to be looking over brats, damn it. Stupid Bak."

Allen looked back. From within the wall with circuit-like patterns, a little girl emerged. Allen recognized her as the girl who said she carried him all the way from the bamboo forest, and thus saving his life…Allen thought she was human.

Bak smiled knowingly, "She isn't human. She has a crystalline body fashion from the 'Guardian Deity' my great-grandfather made."

Fou smiled proudly, "In other words, a warrior that protects this branch. I'm pretty strong, Walker." She said as she became separated from the wall.

Suddenly, her arms transformed into big axes and she swung them at Allen. The shocked boy didn't do much to dodge other than taking a small step backwards. Fou moved fast, lifting her arm so that the blade of the axe was at Allen's neck. "Got your neck."

"Tch." Allen gritted his teeth.

Fou smiled. She turned the blade away from the boy and hit him squarely in the chest with the flat side. Allen was sent flying across the room, smashing into a thick pillar.

Bak and Wong covered their face with their hands, both from not wanting to see Allen's pathetic defeat and guilt of dragging Allen into this.

"Ow…" Allen groaned as he fell onto the floor.

Fou looked at Allen boredly. "Fight me seriously, you brat. Unless you're able to invocate your Innocence…I'm really going to kill you."

Bak was dying of guilt. He tried, "T-t-the quickest way to knowing your Innocence is through combat! People have been known to develop rapidly when faced with an impending crisis! When you're driven into a corner, a means of escape will appear before you someway or other!" He tried to justify this decision, "That's what I thought. But I think you should stop, Walker! This approach might be a bit dangerous after all!"

Allen let out a breath and stood up. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his bandaged right hand. "I'll do it. This 'escape when cornered' strategy may be a good idea!"

* * *

General Klaud stood in the Altar, before the large Rose cross, and before the hundreds of names carved into wooden boards, just like how they were all carved into each and everyone's heart.

She looked up to the millions of candles surrounding the Altar. "My students have already been cremated…" A stream of tears rolled down her face. "It's just as well…now that you've turned to ash, you no longer need to bear the cross on your shoulders…"

Lau suddenly screeched at something behind the female general.

"They were all a bunch of loser dogs." A low, harsh voice said. "I have nothing to say to them." General Sakaro sat on the ice cold tiled floor of the Altar.

"General Klaud Nine, General Winters Sokaro." Komui stood before the two, holding his white cap to his chest in respect. "The head Generals are waiting."

General Klaud looked back at the large cross. "The girl…"

"She had set off to the Asia Branch." Komui explained.

Klaud sighed. "That girl…" She shook her head. "Let her be, then."

* * *

_Ping! Pang!_

Sounds of metal hitting stone came from within the training room Allen and Fou were fighting. Three small figures hid behind a column.

"Is this all right? He told us not to trespass here." One of them whispered.

"As long as he doesn't find out, we're fine! You want to see his Innocence too, don't you?" Another one replied.

"Ah, what you really want to see is Walker, Roufa!" Another one teased the first one, who was a girl.

"Shh! Quiet!" The second one warned. "They're really going all out."

The three watched the heated battle between the artificial girl and the boy. Allen came to close calls with Fou's blade, it seems like Fou had the upper hand.

Which was good. Because it meant that Allen will be in danger, then his Innocence would react.

Bak watched the battle from inside dark room, on a large screen.

He thought it would work, Allen thought it should work too. But by the looks of it, this method is not doing much other can putting Allen in danger and tiring out Fou.

Someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" Bak said.

Wong came in and stopped in the doorway. "Mr. Walker has a visitor."

Bak raised his eyebrows. That was quick, really quick. "She's here?"

Wong nodded.

"Let her in."

Wong pointed to the screen. Bak looked back to the screen at where Wong pointed. He couldn't see anything. Just Fou and Allen going all out trying to kill each other. Bak got a hold of the control stick and panned the area. Suddenly, there was a figure next to a large pillar. Bak zoomed.

And there she stood, watching the battle with an indifferent expression.

Desdemona tilted her head to the side. They are doing that too. It might work, though. Last time Master used this method and forced her to invocate her Innocence.

_Swoosh!_

Desdemona was shocked when Fou took a clean swipe at Allen's neck. He tried to defend himself with his Innocence but it didn't stay in its physical form. When it turned back into particles, Allen was left unguarded and Fou took full advantage of that.

Desdemona was shocked. She opened her mouth slightly and took a breath in, as if beginning to talk.

The three hiding behind the pillar Desdemona stood beside gasped. She knew they were there. She knew they weren't supposed to be there. She knew that they were trying to hide. So she didn't react when she saw them, they were quite thankful.

After a second of suspense, during which Allen and Desdemona actually waited for Allen's bloody head to fall off and the three scientists trying to trick themselves into believing their eyes were deceiving them, Allen blinked a few times and held a hand to his neck to check if his head's still there. To his surprise, his neck was still attached.

"Huh? It's still attached?" Allen asked himself.

"Fwaaaah" Fou yawned from behind Allen. He looked back. Fou's body was shimmering in and out of visibility. "Sorry, I'm so tired. I can't keep up my physical state anymore. We've been fighting for over 10 hours so I'm going to take a nap now. We'll continue after I wake up." Fou skipped into the wall where she came from and merged in with the building material.

Allen watched after the artificial girl. He still had his hand around his neck. _So if she wasn't sleepy, I would have lost my head? _Then, out of both mental shock and physical exertion, Allen fainted.

The four around the large pillar watched as Allen fell down with his legs up in the air. Roufa ran instantly to the boy's side with the two other scientists following close behind. Desdemona was about to walk over when she heard some loud noise.

_Snore~_

He's snoring. Desdemona noted. Which meant that he's sleeping. Which meant that he was ok. And plus, those three already went, they don't need her.

Desdemona stayed next to the pillar.

A black golem flew over to the crowd around an unconscious Allen. Bak spoke, "YOU GUUYSS! YOU NUMBSKULLS! I TOLD YOU THAT PLACE WAS OFF-LIMIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

The three 'numskulls' smiled awkwardly at the golem. "S-sorry."

Bak was still angry. "Forget it! Since you are already there, carry Walker to a bed! As punishment, you'll be cleaning up the entire data storage room!"

"EEHHHH!" came the response of the three. Bak ignored them, instead he turned around and gave orders to Wong. "Wong, get the IV and bandages for his injuries. After you're done with Allen. Go sort out Dem."

"Yes sir!" Came Wong's reply as he ran to execute his orders.

The girl looked at the three. Shifu (the short male) was trying to wheel a bed into the training grounds. Rikei and Roufa were trying to drag/lift Allen to the bed. Desdemona noticed that Roufa might be struggling, so she ended up going to help too.

Rather than letting Roufa hog up Allen's left side and blocking Desdemona of a great place to get a hold of him, she told Roufa to go do something else that's useful. By the looks of it, Roufa can't find that useful thing to do, so Desdemona'll have to tell her.

The Eurasian girl came up behind Roufa and tapped on her shoulders. The Asian scientist looked back. "Oh, Dem!"

"I'll help Rikei here, you go help Shifu. He seems like he got the bed jammed in between those two poles."

Roufa nodded and ran to Shifu. Desdemona now realized that his left side has nothing for her to throw over her shoulder, like an arm or something. Her brain rarely worked, and this was one of those rare times.

"Rikei!"

The man looked at her. She was in front of Allen, bending her back down. "Put him on my back!"

"Wait, no. I'll do it. You put him on my back." Rikei said.

"Just do it." She insisted.

Rikei did what she told him to. He helped Allen onto the girl's back. He was quite unsure. She was much shorter and smaller than himself. He had a feeling that she won't be able to support Allen's weight.

When Allen's weight was completely placed on her, she adjusted his weight a bit and activated her Innocence. Rikei was quite confused, what is she doing? Then, he saw that she, without touching the whip, willed the whip to wrap around Allen.

Desdemona explained. "To me, everything Thora wraps around reduces in weight. Or else I would no way be able to throw 2 ton akumas around."

Rikei nodded. "But how did you do that?" Referring to her not touching the whip.

"Level 2's other form. Usually used for infiltration and eavesdropping. I can will Thora to crawl and extend in any direction. If I concentrate enough, I can see and hear as everything Thora can see and hear in its position. But in this form, Thora cannot damage anything."

Rikei nodded. Shifu and Roufa seemed to get the bed unjammed from the two poles and wheeled it towards them. Desdemona walked forwards to meet the two and lowered Allen onto the bed.

Wong appeared just in time to mummify Allen with IV and bandages.

* * *

"Yeah, she's here." Bak said into the telephone. Komui has been calling him much more frequently these days.

"_Is she ok?_"

"By the looks of it, she's quite fine."

"_If that happens again, get her back to Headquarters immediately._"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. What exactly is wrong with her?"

"_I don't know. She just suddenly fainted without any signs of life, slept for a whole week and woke up being lively as ever._"

"Quite strange…"

"_Yeah. How's Allen doing?"_

"He's doing the best he can, but he's still unable to invocate. He'll need some more time."

"_I see. The boy can be quite brash, so look after his health for him, Bak-chan._"

"Yeah, I know."

"_And also, how's THAT going?"_

"I got some information, pretty vague. I don't even know if it is related to her."

"_Tell me anyway._"

"Sometime in the past, a daughter of the Qing family, a large family, or I would rather say clan here in China, married their daughter to the Vaughan family in England, who were also quite an influence in London. The marriage was meant for political and industrial friendship."

"_Is that all?_"

"Yeah…"

* * *

Desdemona woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. She blinked a few times before it registered in her mind that she was at Asia branch. She stretched her arms far above her head and deep breathed.

Why was she here again?

Oh, she was worried about Allen.

But now it seemed stupid. That overwhelming flood of strong emotions was gone. She forgot how it felt like to be worrying about him. It was quite stupid, now that she's thinking over it. It wasn't like her at all. Why would she care anyway?

_Why do you care?_

_**I don't know.**_

_You should know._

_**But I don't.**_

She was quite annoyed by it, the other half. She wanted it to stop using Bidelia's voice. Makes her miss her every time.

She got up and got dressed before leaving her assigned room. She absent-mindedly wandered through the Asia branch. It's quite a phenomenon, building this entire network of tunnels and chambers within a mountain. She wondered what will happen if there was an earthquake.

The Asian branch probably wouldn't be damaged. It's been standing there for hundreds of years. It's not like it hadn't experienced earthquakes yet.

Unknowingly, her own legs carried her to the training area Allen and Fou were fighting yesterday. She looked around the tall pillar. A visible white head sat on the floor, staring intently at the wall Fou was resting in. He just sat there, staring at the wall.

Desdemona walked up to Allen. He heard footsteps from behind him so he turned his head slightly to see who it was. Because of his low altitude, he only saw her tight pants tucked into her knee-high boots.

"Good morning." Allen greeted.

"What are you doing here?" She said, stopping beside him, staring at the wall with him.

"Waiting." He shrugged. "You arrived yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

"Who said it was for you."

Allen scratched the back of his head, an awkward silence then stretched on.

"But I guess you should've thanked me anyway."

"Why?" Allen looked innocently up at the girl.

Without lowering her head, she looked down at the boy. "You are so heavy that I felt like dropping you the second I carried you."

Allen laughed awkwardly. She didn't laugh.

"What are you waiting for?"

Allen looked back at the wall. "Fou. She wouldn't come out. She said that she wants to rest for longer."

"It's only 4:30."

"I realized. But I couldn't just sleep and do nothing."

"Why can't you do nothing?" Desdemona asked.

Allen thought it was quite an odd question. But somehow, he knew the answer to this odd question. "Because I must keep on walking forward."

"Why don't you just annoy her until she snaps and comes out to attack you?"

Allen thought about it. It was actually a pretty good idea. But, he didn't want to annoy Fou. She's doing this for him, he can't be too demanding.

"THAT WON'T WORK!" Fou screamed from within the wall. "I ALREADY SAID THAT I DON'T WANT TO EVER COME OUT AGAIN! MY JOB DESCRIPTION NEVER SAID THAT I HAVE TO FIGHT WITH A BRAT NON-STOP FOR HOURS ON END!"

"The faster he can invocate his Innocence, the earlier this will end." Desdemona pointed out.

"NO WAY! I'M NOT COMING OUT TODAY!"

"She says that she won't come out today." Allen stated.

"I know. I am not deaf."

"No, what I'm trying to say is. Just then, before you came, she just said that she won't come out for another 5 hours."

"Are you blaming me now?"

"No."

"Then what are you trying to get at?"

"Nothing…"

Desdemona narrowed her eyes at him. He simply replied by staring at the wall.

She gave up, staring back at the wall too. "Then what are you going to do?"

"Sit here and wait for her to come out."

"I already said. You don't have to wait. Just annoy her out of the wall."

"SHUT UP YOU TWO! IT'S NOT LIKE I CAN'T HEAR YOU! WHY MUST IT BE ME? THAT ANNOYING GIRL CAN FIGHT TOO!"

Allen widened his eyes. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

Desdemona looked slowly down at Allen, again without even lowering her head. Staring back at her was a pair of glittering silver eyes that carried such a huge amount of hope and pleading. She felt uncomfortable, being looked at like that, so she instantly looked away.

Murderous glares, accusing stares, challenging glowers; she's fine with all that. None of them gets to her at all, her animalistic instincts would just make her glare back at them until they admit defeat. But such hopeful gazes, she cannot stand them, for reasons she herself cannot even comprehend. She'd do anything for them to be stop looking at her like that. Even if she turns away, she can still feel the stare on her, and it gives her goosebumps.

"Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

She clenched her hands that were crossed at her chest into fists. She wants to punch him in the eye.

"Fine."

"Fine what?"

"If you so insistently want to be killed, I'll kill you."

"Really?" he replied, excitedly.

Without a warning, a green glowing whip struck at Allen. He dodged just in time.

He looked back at the girl. She was staring right at him with anger in her eyes. He didn't understand. What did he do that angered her so much?

She glowered at him. What sort of response is that? She said that she'll kill him. He asked her, "Really?" She swear, now. She WILL seriously execute the promise she made to herself the first day she met him.

She will _definitely_ kill him…someday. Because right now, she needs to put things into perspective. She needs to put him in considerable danger without killing him. That's even harder.

"W-wait!" He said. Probably stalling time.

She ignored him. Instead she thought more about it. A whip, it doesn't do much on a human being other than causing scratches and pain. Maybe she should use that form to fight him.

She pulled the whip towards herself and caught the leather in her left hand while her right hand was still on the handle. She closed her eyes and concentrated. _Innocence activate level 2, Scorpion's Tail._

Allen watched as she ran her index and middle fingers from the handle to the end of the leather, the black leather became a single-edged blade as her fingers glided over. He was surprised. He never knew her Innocence could become a sword.

She experimentally swung the sword forwards and towards the ground. Suddenly, the sword broke up into sections with a thin cord connecting them together, forming what looks like a whip with blades stationed on it. She then swung the blade-whip back up towards herself and the sections of the blade clicked back together, returning to the form of a normal sword.

Allen gulped. He has never seen any weapon like that before.

She looked up from her blade-whip towards Allen. He flinched. She was smiling, but it was not a comforting kind of smile, but a cold, challenging smile, almost sadistic. Her eyes showed no other emotions. Somehow, Allen knew that she would not hesitate to really kill him.

He braced himself, ready for her attacks.

She charged at him and took a swipe with her blade. He dodged the blade by moving to the side. But suddenly he realized that was an extremely stupid move. She flicked her wrist and the blade disjointed and extended. Allen, who stayed within the range of the weapon, tried to duck. That was again, a stupid move. Her weapon is not just a sword. It has the flexibility that a normal sword does not have. That appearance was extremely deceiving.

With another simple flick of her wrist, the blade-whip wrapped itself around Allen's body, immobilizing him while still lightly cutting him. Then slowly, like a predator enjoying its prey, the girl leaned in to Allen's face, forcing him to look at her in the eye. Those eyes were cold and penetrating as ever, but somehow, being stared at by them for so many times, Allen felt like he's gotten immune to them, or rather, he'd hate to admit, addicted to them.

Allen tensed as something cold and hard was pressed against his neck. He glanced down without moving. The majority of the blade-whip was wrapped around his body. But the last segment of the blade, the one closest to the hilt, was curved around his shoulders to be placed at his neck. He looked back up at the girl.

Even though she was not openly smiling, Allen can see a small, triumphant upward tilt at the corner of her lips. She raised an eyebrow. "Pay attention."

She unwrapped the blade-whip from Allen's clothes, tearing through some of his clothing and skin with the sharp blades in the process. After the blades were off him, she returned the weapon to its joined form and waited for him to stand up.

He staggered up, carelessly examined his torn clothing and grazed skin. Since she was waiting for him, he thought that he might use this chance to catch her off guard. He continued examining his clothes. She waited for him to start actually paying attention. It did occur to her that he may be just stalling time and that she should strike already, but somehow, it felt like she was taking advantage of his weaponlessness.

Suddenly, Allen lunged at the girl, knocking her down to the floor while taking the blade away from the girl.

The overwhelming feeling of triumph filled Allen. Maybe pride is contagious. It took over Allen's mind so much that he did not even realize the position they were in. Only after smiling triumphantly at the girl beneath him for an overly long period of time, he started noticing that this girl, who has superiority complex, is not even a bit fazed by her defeat. She simply returned Allen's idiotic smile with a bored stare.

He was suddenly brought back to reality, and he realized their positions. He was on top of her, straddling her stomach. She was lying on the ground, with her arms folded on top of her chest in a displeased manner. Then suddenly, she closed her eyes.

He started panicking as well as feeling blood rushing to his cheeks. He didn't even know what to do.

Something in his hand started vibrating slightly. He looked down at the blade in his hands, it was glowing green. Gradually but quickly, it turned back into the thin black whip. He lifted the whip up to look at it closer but was shocked when the leather moved by itself. It first curled itself around his torso, then his chest, wrapping his arm in too.

Once Allen was again completely immobile, the girl extended an arm and pushed the boy off her. She got up and frowned down at the English exorcist, "Stop messing around, get serious." She held out a hand and the whip released Allen and returned to her.

Allen got up. He really should get serious. He should stop getting tied up by a whip. He just realized that he knew absolutely nothing about the girl's fighting styles. Absolutely nothing.

_Clack! Clack!_

Allen looked to the girl. She dropped the heels on her boots, picked it up with ease, and put it to the side. She looked back up at the boy. "Pay attention now, if you don't want to be killed."

Then, the girl became a black blur. He tried to follow her with his eyes, but she was too fast. Before he knew it, she was behind it. She swung, again, something new at him. It was the black whip form, but the leather was thicker with small spikes on it. He ducked, barely dodging the attack. Then, she reappeared before his eyes. She turned around quickly, landing a hard kick at his stomach. He was sent flying backwards, then sliding across the floor.

He shakily got up, wiping the corner of his mouth with his hand. He looked around, she wasn't anywhere to be seen. He felt air moving from above him so he looked up. Nothing. Then, something black blurred across the corner of his eye, he stepped back in the opposite direction. However, once he stepped back, he felt something sharp pressed on his back. Probably the blade again.

"Too slow." She said. Before Allen was sent flying again.

She sighed. This might not work. All she's doing is reopening the wounds Wong had so painstakingly fixed up.

He stood back up again. She held up four fingers. "4 hours. I'll give you 4 hours to get your Innocence back. If you don't in 4 hours, I'm going to get something to eat and pause for a while, and then it's another 4 hours."

Allen nodded. She charged.

~x.X.x~

She's been getting slower and slower, Allen noticed. It's only 3 and a half hours.

At the very beginning, Allen couldn't even see where she is, but now, he could see clearly everything she did. But still, she's still much faster than him.

She is low on stamina, that's what he concluded. That's why she said to go in 4 hour sections. She probably can't keep going at it like Fou did.

Desdemona flicked the blade-whip at Allen, who dodged it easily. She can feel her own body getting heavier and heavier. She'll have to stop soon.

Damn Allen, still unable to keep the form of his Innocence. He did activate it, it does stay for a couple of seconds before bursting into particles again. She saw it, it was different from his old one. Rather than looking like an enlarged human hand, his new one is much more slender and black instead of silver. It looked much more like a claw than a hand. She couldn't tell the details as he could only keep that shape for mere seconds.

Somehow, she had a feeling that even if they keep on going, he's not going to get anywhere. But she didn't say anything. This was the only logical and possible way of getting his arm back, if she shatters his hope then nothing will do.

But going on like this for another hour is pointless. He's getting more and more distressed every time the Innocence turns back into particles. His mental state, she somehow knew, is collapsing. It wasn't just now, but ever since he woke up. He hid it well, but he still can't hide the frustration and anger while he fights. She realized that he was using this chance to vent out his anger. He was angry with himself. That won't do, it'll only cloud his mind and make him act without thinking.

All these pointless combats are doing is allowing him to grasp onto some hope, allowing his mental strength to at least stay up for a bit longer.

However, her physical state is not keeping up. She dodged one of his attacks as he tried to invocate the Innocence and strike her. It became harmless particles just before it touched her. She jumped back anyway.

Desdemona flicked her wrist upwards and the blade-whip retracted into a sword, which she then deactivated and changed back into a whip. She returned the whip to her belt. "Let's stop."

He looked at her. She saw refusal in his eyes. She felt anger well up in her. What makes him think that she will let him vent all his anger on her? She stared back at him, though careful not to mix anger into her stare. One thing she learnt was that he was very fragile and delicate now. One extra glare might accidentally break him.

She slapped herself in her head. So what if she breaks him? Why should she care?

…

Why should she care…

She shook her head. Not wanting the answer to that question to come to her.

He seemed to go with her decision, as he just dropped himself onto the ground on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Allen stared blankly. There's nothing he could do. She was slowing down, he could tell. She was getting tired, he could tell. But he can't just sit here and do nothing. He can't just wait around for nothing. Lavi and Lenalee are fighting right now, probably. He can't just sit here.

He absent-mindedly raised a hand up as if to reach something in the air. He looked up to his hand. Only if he had more power, more power to be able to protect the people around him.

He flinched as Desdemona suddenly appeared over him. She stared down at him. "Stand up. Don't just lay there."

He didn't respond. He wasn't sure how to respond. Somehow, he felt that there was a deeper meaning to that. He wasn't sure. Maybe he was just imagining.

He didn't respond. She frowned. She grabbed a hold of his upraised hand and pulled him to his feet. She started walking away, expecting him to follow. The loud sound from her boots, she's put the weights on again.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Kitchen."

At the sound of that word, Allen's stomach grumbled like thunder. He scratched his head with an awkward smile. She simply kept walking on. He ran to catch up to her.

"Your Innocence…looks different than before." She commented.

"Yeah. I know."

"If it's different, shouldn't you be activating it differently? Shouldn't you be feeling it differently?"

He went silent. The feeling he was trying to get was how he felt before his Innocence turned into particles. Maybe she's right. Maybe he's activating it the wrong way. "Yeah…"

"I might be wrong."

"No, you might be right."

"Maybe it's your way of thinking."

He frowned. "What?"

"I said, maybe it's your way of thinking that's wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't parasitic types connected greatly to the accommodator's emotions? Maybe you don't have the right emotion to be activating it."

"Then…how do I find the right emotion?"

"Maybe, just maybe. You should stop fighting to vent your anger and start thinking."

"I'm not venting my anger. Who am I angry at anyway?" he laughed. She did not find it amusing.

"Yourself."

He went silent.

"Sometimes, it's useful to ask yourself why."

"But how does asking myself 'why' help with activating the Innocence?"

She suddenly felt really, really angry. She stopped and looked at him. "I think you're missing the point here. Activating the Innocence is not your ultimate goal, is it? Why do you want to activate the Innocence?"

"Because I want to protect everyone!" he got angry too. But, just like she said, it was mostly at himself.

"But why do you want to protect everyone? You know you can't do it! Why are you still bothered to try? Why can't you just give up and do something realistic for once?"

Allen didn't know the answer. He doesn't know. He continued on to keep the promise with Mana, that he will save the souls of the akuma. He doesn't remember when or where that he started wanting to protect the people around him. Or why he wants to protect them. He can't answer, he doesn't know. He only did it because it was the right thing to do. But that was it.

She took in his silence for a lack of answer. She calmed down a bit but her tone was as sarcastic as ever. "If you really want to be with your Innocence that much and don't care about anything else. Why don't you just turn into particles and ask Bak to shut you inside that room forever?"

She turned and walked away, leaving Allen standing alone in the corridor.

* * *

Ohohohoho! Ahahahaha! Yeah, I'm high, on sugar. XXDDD XXXDDD Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! I got the timeline mixed up but oh well, who cares?

Pick out my mistakes and correct me! If you have opinions for just random anon hate, chuck them at me anyways. Haha.

Oh, and something I really wanted to add. XXDD "...he was very fragile and delicate now. One extra glare might accidentally break him." A GLASS CASE OF EMOTION!

Review!

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	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader , All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

Writing with SHINee on loop. *wants to get up and dance*

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

His appetite didn't decrease, even with his Innocence detached from his body. She wondered where he stores all that food, is there a black hole in his stomach?

Desdemona sat at the wooden table with Bak, Allen and the three from before. She slowly ate the rice before her while staring at the boy through two tall piles of plates.

"Allen! If you keep on piling up on that one, it'll tip over!" Shifu yelled over the sound of cutlery clashing against the white porcelain plates.

"Mfffffn! MMMFFFFFNN!" said Allen through his food. He quickly glanced at Desdemona, who sat opposite him. He never saw her eat anything proper before. This is the first time she's actually touched proper food…if you call plain rice proper, that is.

Wong laughed while explaining, "_That girl. She would only ever eat rice from around the Yangzi River in China and Niigata region in Japan. Such a picky child!_"

She was looking at her bowl of rice and eating while picking at it slowly with her pair of chopsticks. He was ashamed to admit that, despite being a huge eater, he was yet to learn the _modus operandi _of some eating utensils, such as the chopsticks. He does not comprehend how one can pick up food with two pieces of wood.

Was she still angry? For not being able to answer. Allen thought about that question many times now, but he still can't get an answer. Why. That word, it's so bothersome. Must everything be done with a reason? Of course. Or else it would lose its meaning.

_PANG!_

"ALLLENN!" Shifu's extremely irritated voice woke Allen from his thoughts. A pool of shattered plates lay on the floor. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO PILE MORE PLATES ON THAT PILE!"

"Calm down, Shifu!" Bak said, sipping his tea casually. "It's not going to kill you."

"Yeah Bak!" Shifu replied sharply, "Let's try dropping a few hundred plates on _your_ head!"

As soon as he said it, Desdemona suddenly appeared behind Bak, holding a pile of plates above his head. Allen turned to his side, a number of plates have disappeared from his newly formed pile. He started cold-sweating…how did-

A second loud crash echoed in the Asian Branch's Dinning Hall, followed by a second scream of complaint. "DDDEEEEEEEEEMMM! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

Everyone looked to the girl, which was a grave mistake, because what they saw next chilled them to their bones.

She smiled. It wasn't a warm, happy smile. It was a cold, harsh smile accompanied by her piercing eyes. "I thought you wanted plates dropped on your head. So I dropped plates on your head."

If voices can be measured like temperature, hers could have frozen lava.

As the rest of the people present shuddered in silence, the girl turned around and walked out of the dining hall in the direction of her room.

Bak stared after the girl and then turned to Allen. "She's in a bad mood, I wonder what happened to her."

Allen looked back innocently, "I didn't do anything!"

Bak and Allen both stared out the door, wondering what's going on inside the girl's head.

* * *

"This is not going anywhere!" Fou exclaimed. Thrashing her arm/blade in an aggravated manner.

Allen shakily got up from the pile of debris that was once a small pillar before he crashed into it. She's right. This is going nowhere. The amount of time his arm keeps its shape has been decreasing rapidly. He can't even remember what it feels like to have that arm anymore.

He glanced to the side. The Eurasian exorcist had been standing on the side the entire 4 hours. Not uttering a word, just watching. He swear that she had not moved an inch.

Desdemona leaned against the back wall, crossing her arms at her chest, observing the battle quietly.

_**What's wrong with his Innocence?**_ She asked the other half, expecting it to respond.

_... I thought you didn't like my voice._

_**Do you know or not?**_

_What I know is not what I know. What I know is what every one of us knows. I do not know. Only the one who grants us power knows._

_**You should've just said that you don't know.**_

_Oh, but I do not not know._

Desdemona felt like punching someone. Who? Herself? Her own head?

_**If you know what's wrong and how to fix it, then just tell me.**_

_I have already said. I do not know. However. One does know. Only he who is tied with his crystal shall know._

_**So, Allen should know.**_

_I never said he would know._

_**So how would he or anyone know?**_

_When the time comes. When he who is chosen understands the purpose. When he is condemned to be fit to know._

Desdemona sighed. Is there really nothing else to be done?

* * *

Two knocks came from the wooden door and the handle was twisted open, entering the room was the Chinese exorcist.

Anita looked up at Lenalee. "I'm sorry for disturbing you so late at night, but…could I borrow a hair tie from you?" Lenalee asked, touching her slightly wet hair with her hand.

Anita asked the girl to sit down. She went to retrieve a comb and two hair-ties from a small wooden box. She helped Lenalee tie up her hair.

"These are a memento of my mother, do you like them?" Anita asked.

"What? Oh no! I couldn't use such an important-!"

"No, it's all right." Anita's eyes were filled with sorrow. "She promised me that I would inherit them once I turned 18…but before then, she was killed by an akuma. I couldn't bring myself to wear them ever since."

Lenalee turned around. "Anita, your mother was also a supporter of the Church, wasn't she?"

"Yes." Anita smiled, "She fell in love with General Cross at first sight and became a supporter. Pretty simple minded, huh?"

Lenalee smiled. "Is that so?"

"I shouldn't talk about others though. I'm the same, helping the organization because I want to do something for that man."

Lenalee looked to the floor. She wanted to ask, however, she was also aware of Anita's feelings. Somehow, she felt that the need to confirm their reason more important than worrying about the older female's feelings. Selfish, isn't it? Humans are selfish, aren't they?

"Do you believe that General Cross is still alive?" Lenalee waited for Anita's answer.

After a few prolonged moments of silence, Anita finally answered, "Yes, I do. Because that is…my only source of strength right now."

~x.X.x~

Lavi stood outside on the deck, under the dim light from the moon. He held in his hand a Spades' Ace. The card he had retrieved from, allegedly, beside Allen's pool of blood. He couldn't help but to worry. Worry about the white haired boy, worry about his feelings and future, and also worrying about the Chinese exorcist who acted like nothing more than a heartless zombie. He worried. And yet those words, the words that forbade him from feeling these emotions for his own good kept on repeating in his head.

_Don't be taken in by the war. You are the successor of 'Bookman' and nothing else. We are not their allies…we are only on the Church's side 'by chance'._

"We are only involved…" Lavi repeated those words with his own mouth and voice, as if making it more material than it is, to make his mind understand those words. "…in order to record history. A bookman…has no need for a heart."

Lavi lowered the hand in which he held the card. He folded his arms on the side of the large boat and rested his head on them.

_Step…_

~x.X.x~

"Ah!" Miranda exclaimed, suddenly standing up, looking quite unstable.

"What's wrong, Miranda?" Crowley asked gently.

"Just now…there are continuous rounds of recovery occurring somewhere on this ship." She said, her voice shaking. "Deck…?" She muttered, as if talking to herself. "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

As soon as she said it, a loud explosive sound came from the upper deck.

"THE SECOND MAST IS BROKEN!"

"IT'S HERE!"

"ENEMY ATTACK!"

"IT'S AN AKUMA!"

The deck was thrown into chaos as the crew tried their best to keep calm. More and more rushed onto the deck but their visions were blocked by a thick mist of dust formed from the explosion.

As the mist slowly cleared, many gasped.

The first thing they saw, was Lavi's limp arm laying next to a big pool of crimson liquid.

* * *

Since when did she become the food delivery service?

Desdemona carried a large brown bag of food, for Allen, up the many staircases that lead from the kitchen to the room they were fighting in. They're not stopping, even when it's already 1:30 in the morning. She yawned. He's hungry again.

Once she arrived in line of sight with Allen, he ran *insert slow motion* towards the large brown leather bag of food, comparable to Santa's sack, with an expression one would put on when they finally meets their long lost family. *insert Theme song from Chariot of Fire*

Desdemona just dropped the sack onto the ground, stretched her back and wiped some sweat away from her forehead.

"HEY! BEAN SPROUT! GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE!" Came Fou's loud cry.

"MMMFFFFFHHH!" said Allen, who has dived into the sack.

"He said he needs to eat." Explained Desdemona. "He said he's starving."

"WELL, THAT DOESN'T EXPLAIN WHY HE COULD JUST RUN AWAY LIKE THAT!"

"MMMMFFFFFFFFHHFHHHFHF!"

"He said that if he doesn't eat, he'll die."

"AND YOU THINK I WON'T FAINT, HUH? WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM DOING? I'M DOING THIS FOR YOU!"

"MMMFFFFFH MMFFFH FFFH FUUHHH!"

"He said that he is an ungrateful bastard and that you should kill him sooner or later."

Allen swallowed his mouthful of food and poked his head out of the sack. "I never said anything like that! And plus, I didn't say anything you said I said in the first place!"

Desdemona shrugged, digging a bar of chocolate out from her pocket. "I just assumed."

"YOU IDIOT ARE YOU DONE!" Fou screamed from the other side of the hall.

Allen dove out from the sack with food scraps all over his face, but with a content smile…looking quite tedious.

"Wipe your mouth." Desdemona said quietly while passing Allen to retrieve the sack, now full of rubbish. The boy hastily lifted his arm, intending to wipe his mouth with his sleeve only to realize that he had no sleeve. For some reason, possibly because she was the one who told him to do it, he turned to Desdemona with a desperate look, but before he could even fully face her, a warm, wet towel was thrown into his face.

Desdemona frowned in annoyance. Since when did she become his servant? Even though she really did realize that he didn't ask for her to become his servant. For some reason, she ended up doing it anyways.

And for that reason, she was even more annoyed with herself.

She was questioning why did she even come in the first place? It was only because she felt that she had to come, but for what reason? She knew he was fine and alive. She knew the Asia branch would take good care of him.

But why would she care if they took good care of him or not? She couldn't care less if they starve him for something. He needs to stop trying to eat the Church into bankruptcy.

As if that's going to happen. The church creates money twice as fast as Allen devours food.

After she disposed of the sack, she returned to the training area where Fou and Allen was. Fou can't last much longer, by the looks of it. She was shimmering in and out of visibility.

"Let's stop here!" Fou shouted over the noise of debris falling everywhere. Allen instantly relaxed his pose and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Fou went into the wall.

Allen looked towards the Eurasian girl, who was leaning against the pole leisurely with her arms crossed. She had been surprisingly co-operative these days. 'Co-operative' because 'nice' isn't right either.

She suddenly turned her gaze onto him, who flinched slightly. After a few seconds of careful inspection under those onyx eyes, Allen saw the girl walking slowly towards him with a bored expression.

"Um…I can still-" Allen began.

"No you can't." She said, with the utmost certainty in her voice.

"But I am-"

"You are going to pass out about now." She said firmly.

"No I'm no-" Allen was cut short, again. This time not be the girl but by his own brain blacking out. He could feel himself falling, but never hitting the ground. Whether it's because his mind completely shut down before he touched the ground or because he never really touched the ground, he didn't know.

Desdemona just caught him by his collar, his limp body hanging loosely, half-kneeling on the ground.

"ZZZZZZzzzz."

"…I thought I already told you."

"ZZZZzzzzzz."

"Now I have to drag you over to your room."

"ZZZZZZzzzzz."

"And is that all you can say?"

"ZZZZZZzzzzz."

_I think he is asleep._

"As if I don't know that."

_Then why are you still talking to him, knowing that he will not respond?_

"Sometimes, things can only be said when the other person cannot hear."

_And why is that?_

"Complaining in front of him would only make him feel bad."

_If you really don't like doing this, why are you doing it?_

"Feeling of obligation."

_And where does this obligation come from?_

"I guess, influenced by the people around me. Contagious."

_I don't think these kinds of things are contagious._

"Then what do you think I do it for?"

_That, only you can answer. Sometimes, don't seek into your brain, search your heart. You may find something surprising._

* * *

Allen heard chirping. Of birds? Probably. He felt the light, bright light through his eyelids. He lifted an arm to cover his eyes. He wanted to sleep more. Too bright.

He turned to his side, hugging his blanket close to his body.

Suddenly he sat up violently, remembering what he is supposed to do after his mind cleared up a bit. He quickly threw his clothes on and hurried out. As he neared the dining hall, he smelt the inviting aroma of food. As he turned the corner into the hall, the table straight in front of him was filled with food. Wong placed one last plate of steaming hot sweet and sour pork onto the table and smiled at Allen. "Mr. Walker, please enjoy your meal."

Allen flushed, was Wong waiting on him? He's not used to this kind of treatment, what day is this?

The boy sat down and instantly began gulping down food like he's got a slide instead of a throat and esophagus and a black hole instead of a stomach.

Half way through his meal, Wong suddenly muttered to himself, "That girl…how did she know that he'll come at this time?" Allen, being pre-occupied by his food, heard but it didn't really register in his mind.

As soon as he finished, he thanked Wong and rushed to the training area. When he arrived, he found Fou standing there with an unsatisfied pout. "HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO GET HERE?" She scolded. He scratched his head in embarrassment. "Sorry…"

At Fou's temple, a vein popped up. She suddenly transformed her hand into an axe and swung at Allen. "WHO TOLD YOU TO BE SORRY?"

Allen dodged, trying to activate his Innocence to block the attack in the process. And, just like always, the arm materialized shortly before dispersing into particles again.

~x.X.x~

"How thoughtful of you. Always one step in front of Allen."

Desdemona glanced at the Chinese. "I'm not thoughtful. Time wasted is chance wasted."

"Well, what have you come here for?"

"Can you get through to Komui?"

"I can. Why?"

"It's nothing. Thank you."

The girl turned and exited the office. Bak sighed. Girls these days are so difficult to understand. Only Lenalee, with her angelic smile and heaven-like laughs, keep Bak's world sane.

* * *

"I will destroy you." Lenalee said as she charged towards the Level 3, clad in its unbreakable armour, grinning down at the mortal humans.

"Lenalee! He's a Level 3, he's too strong!" Lavi tried. "You can't fight him alone!"

Lenalee wasn't listening, she just charged at the akuma who claimed itself to be 'Eshi'.

Eshi grinning, holding up his hands, forming a square, like the frame of an artwork, framing whatever the akuma saw through this 'window'.

"Are you next?" Eshi questioned in an icy tone.

Lenalee answered the question with an intense glare of her own, not showing any weakness against this mechanical being. She slammed her foot down on the air beneath her, taking her further into the air, right above the akuma. She did a summersault, then coming down at Eshi with great speed.

Eshi dodged sideways, barely avoiding Lenalee's attack. She still managed to graze it. Without hesitating, Lenalee launched another attack, this time kicking Eshi right in the gut. The impact of Innocence grazing over Dark Matter at high speed created a spark of light that temporarily blinded the two. Suddenly, a fist came out from the light and punched Lenalee in the face.

Lenalee instantly wrapped her legs around the arm. "YYYAAAAAAAGH!" She screamed as she threw Eshi, by the arm, towards the vast, dark ocean beneath. The akuma hit the water's surface with an explosive splash.

Lavi saw the explosion, "Lenalee!" He screamed.

Lenalee appeared next to the red head. "I'm all right, Lavi." She reassured. "I'm all right now. Because I've made a decision. Go ahead of me and protect the boat. I'll be sure to catch up with you guys later…"

Lenalee stepped on air and sprung away, leaving Lavi with no time to object.

"Re-Return to the ship…" the injured Bookman in Lavi's arms choked out. "It's not just him, above the clouds. There are many more."

Just as Bookman finished his sentence, through the dark clouds in the sky rained down a million bullets, all infected with akuma virus, deadly. All of them aimed at the ship.

* * *

Desdemona walked down the dark corridor, with its only source of light from the moon through the windows. She's been having a bad feeling since the morning. Something is going to happen. No, something is happening now that is not pleasant. Not pleasant at all. She was quite irritated, by this constant nagging at the back of her mind. She either know it or not know it. But it's neither. She know something's wrong, she doesn't know what is wrong.

So frustrating.

It's like the feeling she gets before a thunderstorm, but not the same in a way. If it's a thunderstorm she'd know. Or rather, Thora should know.

She stopped as she heard footsteps behind her. She looked back. Allen was behind her, his white hair shimmering under the moonlight. He smiled sheepishly. "Wong said Fou and I should quit for today. It's pretty late already."

"Why are you here?" She asked, her voice devoid of emotions.

"Um…because I have nothing else to do?" He answered with uncertainty.

The girl turned her head forward and continued walking. The boy followed. They absent-mindedly walked down the corridor.

"Hey." Desdemona began.

Allen looked up.

"Fate…it's such a mysterious thing."

Allen looked down with a gloomy expression. "Right now, I don't have time to worry about fate. I have to focus and get my Innocence back. I can't leave everyone else to fight for me."

"Are you accusing me of not helping them now?" she questioned back.

Allen shook his head. "No! It's just…it's just that…I'm frustrated with myself. I don't know what to do! I just can't do it right! It keeps turning back into dust. It's so close. It's right beside me. I can touch it. But somehow…it's out of grasp."

The girl suddenly stopped and looked out the large nearly-ceiling-to-floor domed window towards the moon. "Isn't it painful?"

Allen stopped a few steps ahead of her and looked back with a confused expression.

She lifted a hand up towards the moon, shielding its light, creating a dark shadow across her face. "The feeling of something slipping away just as you were able to touch it. The feeling of being able to touch something but unable to grasp it. The feeling of losing something you possess."

She lowered her hand and looked at Allen. "Humans, aren't we weird creatures? Rather having it close then losing it, we prefer to not have known it at all. Rather than being thankful of their existence in our lives, we only grief when we lose them. So is loneliness a blessing or a curse? Are humans that insatiable? We only want the things we don't have. Once we have it close, we immediately take it for granted and want for something more." She looked out to the moon again. "Humans…are weird creatures."

Allen was first taken back by these complicated ideas suddenly being proposed to him. He thought hard about those words. "But that's not it." He began. "Having something close isn't a curse. There are people supporting us with all their heart so we don't have to be alone."

"Not being alone? Those are only illusions."

"Huh?" Allen frowned.

"We are born alone. We live alone. We die alone. There's no such thing as escape loneliness. Friendship, love, all those, they are merely illusions. Through these illusions we trick ourselves into believing we are not alone. In fact, the only thing that even comes close to escaping loneliness is hatred."

"No! That's not it! We have friends, they are always there for us so that we don't have to fight alone."

"Don't have to fight alone?" She suddenly turned and glared straight into his eyes. He couldn't tell if she's angry or confused, but her voice suggests that she thinks his idea is absurd. "Who are the ones really fighting? Humanity? The Church? The high priests?"

"But there are also the fellow exorcists."

"Can you depend your entire being on them? Do they share all your worries for you? Even if they suffer from the same fate as you, it's not like they really understand how you feel either."

Allen didn't know how to answer. The truth is, there isn't anyone alive that he could depend his entire being upon anymore. Only if Mana…he lowered his head.

Desdemona stared at Allen. She knew, she knew the feeling too well. All this time, how many times had she thought, only if Bidelia was here…

"There isn't a single person alive you can depend on." She continued, echoing Allen's thoughts. "Because, whoever you trust in are the people that will worry about you. You worry about them too. To protect them, you have to hide things from them. You can't even share all of your happiness. Everything you ever loved, you loved by yourself. You can never depend on them fully."

"Then if you say that, what's the point of having friends?"

"No point." She said bluntly. "No point at all. Just creating unnecessary attachments that burden you and expose yourself to harm."

Allen thought about it. He doesn't like this way of thinking. It makes the entire world seem hopeless.

"It would seem hopeless." She echoed his thoughts again. "But why do we keep living? Most of the time, our drive comes from hatred, ambition and revenge. One person's joy always means another's grief. It's inevitable, even if it's unintentional. Even the most basic reason to form friendship is to help oneself in achieving a goal that is set because of hatred, ambition or revenge. Idealists. That's why they are so frustrating. They walk around thinking they are the main character of their story, they are the good side and everyone else is the bad side. They believe everything they do they do because of love and friendship. Truth is, only negative emotions become the drive for one's actions. Positive emotions do nothing other than deceive."

"But…" Allen wants to disagree with her.

"You liked walking." She suddenly said. "Think about it like this: You have a path you have to walk down. Your only goal was to reach the end. You know that once you reach the end, you will lose all your purpose. You know that once you reach the end, there's no more purpose. So why do you keep on walking forward?"

"Because I promised-!" Allen started.

"Why did you promise?"

"Because it was important!"

"Why is it important? No, that's not important. Why did you stay alive before you made that promise?"

"Because…because…" Allen's memory trailed back to a time he never wanted to remember again. "Because I was alone. I wanted to find someone."

"No. That's not the reason." She said with confidence. "You wanted to live because you want to prove to the ones who left you behind that you can live on your own. You did it out of pride and a hatred for those who left you."

Allen was wordless. There's nothing he could say. She was…right. But he doesn't want to admit it.

She started walking the other way back to their rooms. Allen followed again. "But - "

"You." She stopped him. "Can't even think clearly now. Once you figured it out, then come and convince me otherwise."

"I'm thinking clearly!"

She waved a hand dismissively. "If you really are thinking clearly and figured everything out, you wouldn't be here now."

Allen was defeated. So he walked in silence. A strange thought popped into his head. This girl might actually know him better than he knows himself…

* * *

Lenalee couldn't breathe. She could feel the water around her pressing down on her body. The chains loosely wrapped around her but they were sinking her deeper and deeper into the ocean.

She activated her Innocence once more. The glowing light lit up the surround dark water. _Invoking Maximum Power…RELEASE!_

The light shone brighter than before, enveloping Lenalee in a sphere of light. The chains around her body was pushed out by the sphere.

_I did it! _Thought Lenalee. _Eshi's Dark Matter has the power to control gravity. Once caught, there is no escape. But since Dark matter and Innocence are polar opposite, by releasing my Innocence I should be able to temporarily cancel his ability out._

Lenalee stepped on the water and shot towards the surface leaving behind a trail of light. Suddenly, she coughed and blood came flowing out before they slowly dispersed in the water. _Allen…_ her thought trailed to the boy. _For Suman's sake you forcibly released your Innocence too, right? My synchro rate is 86%. We aren't supposed to do this without a synchro rate of 100% but…_

The girl shot out from the water in a column of water.

_But even so, for the sake of my world…_

"I will…" Lenalee said out loud. "TAKE YOU OUT HERE AND NOW!"

The akuma and the exorcist charged at each other. The moment they met, a bright light lit up the sky and smoke soon hid the light from view.

Once the smoke cleared, Lenalee was hanging in air with the akuma holding her by her arm.

"It's over girl." Eshi said. "While cancelling out my abilities, you can barely even move. Eshi's body has now evolved into a close combat type. You cannot damage it."

"'Close Combat type'? There are different types of Level 3 Akuma?"

The akuma simply replied with a round of hysterical laughter.

"I see… so you are just one of the more stubborn types…I get it now." Slowly and faintly, a pentagonal pattern began appearing on the right side of Lenalee's neck and extending to her cheek.

"So Eshi is the stubborn type, is that what you said?"

"Who knows?" Lenalee smiled. Pentagonal patterns started appearing all over her body. Eshi noticed.

"What are you doing?"

Lenalee looked down. _So these are the consequences…they're showing up sooner than I expected._ "I'm…breaking." She answered the akuma.

"You mustn't despair." Eshi grinned. "Killing is more fun when they are still squirming."

Lenalee looked up straight into the place where the akuma's eyes should've been if the helmet weren't in the way. "That…won't happen. Because YOU will be the one to die first."

The akuma landed a punch on the girl's face and kicked her away higher up into the sky. It cruelly caught her by the collar before she started falling down again. Lenalee coughed, blood flowed out the side of her mouth. The akuma shook the girl a few more times before letting go. Lenalee started falling like dead weight.

Suddenly, the girl jerked. She twisted her legs and soon a cyclone appeared, heading straight for the akuma. Eshi raised his hand and made a cutting motion, the cyclone split in half. "Pitiful, Eshi cannot be damaged by the likes of you!"

"Forsaken Footwork…"

Eshi sent gravity chains up to the girl. The girl's legs changed. They are now some sort of iron structure with blades poking out here and there. The gravity chains started surrounding the girl. Eshi grinned.

"You're wrong." Lenalee said, calmly. "Because you've just given me the ability to do so." She closed her eyes, the glowing of the Innocence faded and Eshi's chains started wrapping around her tightly.

_This is it. This is my final attack._

* * *

Desdemona jerked up with a start. She sat up a bit too fast, now she's dizzy. She quickly shook the dizziness away and pulled her stray hair away from her face.

Something is going on. She can feel it. Something is going on and it's going wrong. This time the Innocence didn't tell her anything but she could feel it. The same feeling she got on the train back to the headquarters. The helplessness of witnessing death straight in front of her eyes and not being able to do anything, it wasn't the first time she's felt this. She didn't remember before but after that talk with Allen, she suddenly remembered.

It was the same helpless feeling she felt years ago, when the hope that was so close to reach slipped right out from her grasp and away from sight.

Lenalee…Suddenly, she thought of Lenalee. Lenalee's in danger.

She quickly got up, throwing on her shirt and boots. She bolted down the corridor and barged into Bak's office, unknowingly hitting Wong in the face with the door in the process. Bak looked up with a surprised expression.

Desdemona was out of breath, but she still tried to say what she wanted to say. "Lenalee…"

At the mention of the Chinese girl's name, Bak stood up and walked over to the Eurasian girl.

"Slow down! Slow down Dem!" The suddenly anxious Bak tried to calm the girl down.

"Lenalee is-" Desdemona stopped short. This feeling…

Bak waited.

This feeling…this feeling of energy being drained from her. She's felt this before. However, she had no time to recall.

The world blacked out.

* * *

Sorry guys for the late update. There's been so much work to do! Half yearlys to prepare TAT. Anyways, this one's a bit short. I think, compared to my other ones.

What do you think?

Review!

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	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader , All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

I'm very sorry for the extremely late update. I had my half-yearlies last week so was studying my head off. XD Lots of flashbacks this chapter. I plan to tell Dem's life story here. XD

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

_On the voyage to Edo_

"Marian's not dead." says the self-proclaimed-to-be-converted akuma. "He had landed and is on a mission in the direction of Edo."

The three exorcists – Miranda, Lavi and Bookman stood in front of a large, shining crystal, emitting high levels of energy. Lenalee was inside.

"Mission?" Lavi questioned.

On the other side of the large boat, Anita and Mahoja listened to the conversation. They weren't able to get near because of the energy emitted from the Innocence crystal.

"Boss…did you hear?" Mahoja whispered.

"Yes…" Anita replied with tear in her eyes. "Thank God."

"In the direction of Edo? Isn't he in Edo?" Lavi continued.

"We're coming close but at the same time, we are not quite there yet." The akuma replied.

"What's in Edo?"

"There is a box there. A very big box. A plant for generating akuma using heretic rituals. General Cross's mission is to destroy that, don't you know?"

The three exorcists were shocked. Not by the new piece of information they acquired in the least, but by the fact that the General is actually doing his job…for once.

"Before you get excited, there are too many impediments and the General would find it hard to move around." The akuma said.

Lavi smiled and cross his arm behind his head. "Does that mean he needs our help?"

"No." The akuma replied bluntly, "I came to deliver a message. The General said: 'You guys are a hindrance, go home!'"

"The General said what?" Bookman frowned.

The akuma explained, "Japan is already the Earl's country. The capital, Edo, is the nest of akuma above Level 3. The chances of us coming out alive are low-"

Suddenly, the Innocence crystal containing Lenalee emitted a bright light, illuminating the entire ship. The beam of light shot up into heaven and gradually thinned. From inside, Lenalee emerged. However, on her legs were no longer her Dark Boots, but a peculiar pattern of target-like shapes.

"Lenalee!" Lavi rushed up to Lenalee and held her up by the shoulder.

Something small and round rolled out of Lenalee's hand, Anita's hair band. Tear rolled down Lenalee's cheeks. "Lavi…am I…still alive?"

From the corner of Lavi's eyes, tear started to fall. He knew he wasn't supposed to cry.

Miranda rushed to their side, using her Innocence to temporarily revert Lenalee's injuries.

~x.X.x~

"If we enter Japan…it just means more hardship ahead of us. Should we continue? Or shouldn't we? You guys decide." The Akuma asked.

Lavi, Anita, Miranda and Crowley turned to Lenalee, waiting for an answer, though it was already predicted.

"Let's go on!" The Chinese exorcist said, with a determined smile. "We can't just go back from here. If we turn back now, we are wasting the lives of those that got us this far." Lenalee tried to stand, but the effects of over-using her Innocence made her unable to do that.

Two hands grabbed each of her arms, pulling her gently but yet powerfully to her feet. Lavi and Crowley helped her up.

"Now we've just got Lenalee's approval, let's go!" Lavi announced. "Even though we are all worn out, we can't stop here. Let's go! To Edo!"

* * *

_Through the metal bars separating the beast from freedom, the girl watched it with curiosity, fascination but also wary. Bidelia was going to have to train this newcomer and perform it by next week._

_This job Bidelia had always been doing, even before Mony was born, it's dangerous. This much both Chase and Mony knew. However, they have not known any other way of surviving so there's no other option. This is the only way they can survive in this cruel world._

_But this is going to change soon. Everything Mony knew would change. Her world would change. It is scary but also inviting. It wouldn't necessarily mean a better life, just more freedom. They might have to struggle to survive. They might not be certain to get food every day. But these are just the price they need to pay to get out of this hell hole._

_Bidelia said last week that after Christmas, they would leave this place and never come back again. They will leave here and seek out a place where they don't have to depend on others to live. They can reach a place where they no longer need to be under the control of another person. It's so close. The end is so close. Hope is so close. Neither of them were willing to let that long awaited chance to slip away. Christmas, because Christmas is the largest and last show of the year, after the Christmas Show everyone gets a long break until January next year._

_That's why Mony is especially concerned about this Christmas Show. Cosmo said that Bidelia has to perform with the new tiger, that hasn't been given a name, on Christmas. The new tiger is fiercer, bigger and wilder than any other beast they have in the circus. Bidelia was only given a month to train it._

_It should be enough time. Bidelia is an expert on beasts. It should be enough time, right?_

_They can't afford to have anyone injured or anything going wrong. If that happens, it might mean needing to stay here for another year before being able to get out._

_She absent-mindedly manoeuvred a hand up to her collar bone and touched the necklace Bidelia gave her not so long ago. _

_Cosmo had been harsher than ever before these few months. He's getting more and more intolerable._

"_Mony!" Chase's voice rang out from the outside of the tent._

"_Here!" The girl replied._

_The boy soon appeared through the entrance. "I just heard that Cosmo-"_

"_Not interested." The girl stopped him quickly, before some gruelling tale of the man ruins the day._

_Chase folded his arms across his chest in a knowing manner. "Thought you'd say that." The boy smiled hopefully, "Think of the bright side! In a few weeks we can get out from here!"_

_Mony looked down to the tiger, supposedly imported from India via the Black Market. "Yeah."_

"_Anyways, I was about to tell you. Cosmo's been getting worse. I just heard that he beat an old dog to death out of jealousy." Chase said, disregarding the girl's unwillingness to listen._

"_Old dog? There's a dog on the premises?"Mony was surprised. She thought she knew this place well enough._

"_Don't you remember?" Chase raised his eyebrows. "It's the dog that's always either in the courtyard or following the clown around."_

"_Hm..."_

"_Hey, I think that errand boy, what's his name? Oh, I don't remember but it doesn't matter. You know the one with the weird arm?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Apparently, Flamingo said that he saw the dog licking that cursed arm a few days before. And look where it got that dog? It's dead now." Chase shrugged with a sigh._

"_So is that curse really true?"_

ROAR!

_Chase jumped. The tiger suddenly lunged itself at the bars, in the direction of the girl and the boy._

"_Woah! Calm down! Kitty!"Chase said, while slowing backing away from the cage._

"_Is there any way we can not let Bidelia perform with it next week?" Mony suddenly asked._

"_No. Why? Are you doubting Bidelia's abilities to train an animal? She'll be fine! She's been doing this long before you were born."_

"_Yeah."Mony turned to Chase with anxious eyes._

_Chase slapped Mony's back in a playful manner. "Don't be silly. Is that what you were churning over in your brain for the past few days?"_

_Mony's anxious eyes suddenly turned into a glare. "Just because nothing has happened before doesn't mean nothing will ever happen." As suddenly as the glare appeared, it disappeared. Mony, like waking from a trance, shook her head and quickly went out of the room._

_Chase was left standing alone, scratching his head, wondering what had gotten into his sister._

* * *

_Japan, Edo_

"What did you say?" Tyki turned around and questioned the floating card, in which a small clown was caged. It held a mop in its hand.

"Allen Walker's name, it won't disappear no matter how hard I scrub!" the clown said.

"That can't be!" Tyki's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Scrub harder! Don't try to trick me into letting you out of that cage!"

"This guy's definitely alive!" The clown in the card said with certainty.

Tyki frowned, in both suspicion and doubt.

"Hey hey hey!" A voice from further into the forest of cherry blossoms rang out, accompanied with the footsteps of two people. Tyki turned around, there stood two boys in strange attire.

One had spiky black hair, a load of eye makeup which also consisted of a sharp line through his left eye. He had on a large jacket with fur lining its hood, hanging down his back. Inside was a T-shirt with the word "Death" written. He had laced up legging on one leg, the other ended at his mid-thigh. He wore matching black laced up boots with fur lining its rim.

The other one had on a distinctive blonde wig, a crown made of thorn and also a load of eye makeup. He had on a matching vest with the other one, black with fur lining the rims and the hood. He had bandages all around both his hands. He had the same tights although his covered both his legs and the same boots.

"I heard you are on a special mission, Tyki." The second one said.

"Hey, as usual, you look terrible."

With their sense of fashion insulted, the first one lifted a foot to kick Tyki, who skillfully blocked it with this arm. "You tramp! My name is Debbito!"

The second one joined in. "And I'm Jasdero!"

"Together, we're Jasdebi!" They said in unison.

"Leave me alone, I need to think."

"Hey, you're going around killing all those related to 'that', right? That's why you're here in Edo."

"Yeah, I have to kill a guy called Cross."

At the mention of the name, the twins seemed to be angered. "He's our target! Touch him and we'll kill you!"

"Oh, so you guys, who are assigned to kill the Generals, are in charge of Cross? Then hurry and kill him, what's taking you so long?"

"Shut up! He's unusually hard to get rid of!" Debitto said.

"We've already tried to kill his three time and failed. Hee hee." Jasdero explained.

Tyki and Debitto sat in a cart pulled by Jasdero. Suddenly, they bumped into something. Jasdero felt something heavy on the cart.

Skin Boric landed in the cart. Debitto held a gun to his head while Tyki leaned carelessly on his hand.

"So…sweet tooth is here." Tyki said in a bored tone.

"My name isn't sweet tooth. I'm Skin Boric!" He said in the same raspy voice as always. "I've been assigned to kill the General wearing glasses, and he's here."

"We all sound like failing businessmen…"

"And that's that!"

"Hey! Don't count me in!"

"Hee hee! The boss is going to be angry! Hee! Hee!"

* * *

_Where is this?_

_I know this place, I've been here before._

_It's dark, it's not real. Is it in a dream?_

_It's water above me, it's water below me. I'm stuck here in the middle._

_The world below, it has a large black moon against plain white sky. It was filled with large ruins. The ruins looked like…the Headquarters._

_In the world above, there was a large white moon against a black sky, dotted with stars. White trees with branches at a surreal angle. Crosses stood in the ground beneath the trees._

_Like last time, I stood on water's surface. I knelt down, trying to get to either of the world, above or below me, rather than being trapped inside this band of total darkness. I was standing on something invisible, so I can't get down. I looked up, trying to reach as high as I can; no way I was going to reach the above world either._

_No. It's fine. I'm fine staying where I am. It's fine…_

_Last time, last time Lenalee was crying above the ruins, Allen was next to the water in the world below. Now, there's no one here._

_I'm fine where I am. I will not depend on anyone anymore. No more. That kind of feeling, I never want to feel it again. Dependence means a lack of freedom, a potential to get hurt, a potential to loose the purpose of survival. That time of darkness, I don't want to go through that again. If it means being able to protect myself, I don't care about anything else._

_I heard something. Something before me. I looked forward. There stood a person. He was tall, wearing a cloak. Can't see his face, or anything else. All I can see is his eyes and a smile. The rest of him is filled with a spiral pattern, can't see anything. He smiled._

"_Who are you?" I asked._

_He didn't reply, he faded away._

"_Mony…" Bidelia's voice? I turned around._

_There was nothing._

_Just once, just once, I would like to see Bidelia and Chase again. Staying here…is not too bad either. I don't have to think about anything else. Nothing to worry about. It's better, actually._

_But there's something I feel I must do. I can't stay here yet. Something I can't give in to._

_Life…it's troublesome._

* * *

Allen sat against a stone pillar, on top of a stone beam. He sighed.

Having snapped and screamed at Fou during training, she was now hiding inside her wall, refusing to come out. She must be angry.

Allen lowered his head into his hand in frustration, mostly at himself. _I guess I should go apologize._

Allen lifted his still intact right hand and stared at it blankly. After all the effort he put in, he still wasn't going anywhere. It was just as Desdemona said, without finding the answer to her question, he can't move forward. Maybe it's the way he thinks that's wrong. Now that reminded him of the girl, he's been quite worried about her. She just ran to Bak's office, muttered something about Lenalee in danger and then passed out with no signs of life. According to Bak, it has happened before. Komui insisted on taking her back to Headquarters. Bak convinced Komui that it was pointless, so she's currently in the infirmary, having many life-support machines attached to her. They said she's getting better.

Lenalee...she's in danger, Desdemona said. Allen looked at his hand. He's powerless. Everyone around him is fighting their own battle, he can't help.

"Hah~" Allen sighed again, absent-mindedly. "I can only see darkness…"

Someone tapped on Allen's shoulder. He turned around and shrieked. It was Lou Fa, holding a lamp below her face, illuminating her own face in an eerie manner.

"Miss Lou Fa! What are you doing?"

"Oh, this! I heard you said it's dark, so I brought a lantern." Lou Fa handed Allen the lantern.

"That's…not exactly what I meant…"

"Here you go."

"Thanks…" Allen took over the lantern.

Lou Fa popped herself down on the stone beam next to Allen. "Your arm, it must be very hard for you since you are working so hard…"

"Oh, no. It's such a shame that I'm finding this so difficult…"

"Don't say that! You're putting so much effort into this!"

"No matter how much effort I put in…if it doesn't add up to anything, it means nothing."

"Nothing?" Lou Fa tilted her head. "What is it that you want to do?"

"Huh?" Allen was asked this sort of question before. He has not reached an answer yet.

"Do you feel that you must destroy the Noahs? Burdening yourself with the lives of those you could not save. Do you feel that you must fight as many battles as possible?" Lou Fa smiled, "The thing that's pushing you forward…isn't it the kindness in your heart? And yet that very kindness makes you feel obligated to fight many battles, and could it be that your sense of obligation is forcing you to ignore your true desires? We do not fight for the purpose of simply fighting, we fight because there's something important we have to fight for."

Allen was dumbfounded by the answer this girl gave him, the answer that he should know and don't know. "You…"

"WHHHAAATTTT!" Another Lou Fa stood in the corridor behind Allen and Lou Fa. "I'm…FLIRTING WITH MR. WALKER!"

"What…what happened, Lou Fa! There's two of them!" Allen looked from Lou Fa 1 to Lou Fa 2.

The Lou Fa sitting next to Allen suddenly turned into Fou. "Damn, she ruined everything!" She stood up and walked started walking away, annoyed. "Don't get this wrong, Walker. It's not as it I was trying to cheer you up, OK? I'm still totally pissed at you! I'm angry! And it tires me! I'm sleeping! All because of this troublesome kid."

"Thank you Fou." Allen said as Fou started walking away. "For the light."

Fou tried to hold back a smile. However, she suddenly jerked back as if in pain.

"Miss Fou?" Allen asked.

_Bak…_

_Bak…BAK!_

_HIDE ALLEN, BAK!_

With a burst of air, irregular polygons started pouring out from a hole opened at Fou's chest. The top panel had the numbers '-57-'

"FOU!" Allen rushed forward.

"So you are the barrier?" A voice said from the panels, an akuma.

"Why…how can a mere akuma break through my barrier?"

"I didn't do anything." The akuma said, emerging out from one of the panel. "You see, it was Noah's Ark that allowed me to pass through. I've come to pick you up, Allen Walker!"

* * *

_What if she accidentally let out the wrong tiger? What if she wheeled the wrong cage and distracted Chase long enough so that they don't have time to switch it back? What if they were left with no choice but to use Kugar instead? Kugar's been properly trained and had been performing for years now. Bidelia should be fine with Kugar._

_It's better to have Cosmo getting angry at her than letting something bad happen to Bidelia. She'd rather let Cosmo hit her._

_But what if Cosmo takes it out on Bidelia instead? Mony could bear with anything but that. Even though Cosmo hadn't been that bad to Bidelia before, but since the recent turn of events, Mony's not sure what Cosmo would do._

_Her thoughts took her mind away from where she was walking. She suddenly fell forward and only came to realization after she hit the floor. She looked back, a small pile of dirt was dumped in the middle of the courtyard in the shape of a small hill. Who on earth did that?_

_She quickly got up and dusted her pants. She looked up and was surprised to see the errand boy staring at her with a slightly defensive glare. She frowned and continued walking, ignoring the weird boy. She's currently too occupied to worry about others. If everything goes well, she'll be leaving as soon as Christmas arrives. If everything goes well, she will never have to see this place ever again. That's all she wanted - to be with Bidelia and Chase and be free._

_She walked, looking up towards the sky, admiring the beautiful blue colour. She suddenly wondered what it'd be like to be able to fly, like birds._

_Her legs carried her mechanically back to their tent. She lifted the 'door' (which was a piece of cloth hang over the hole in the material of the tent) aside and stepped in. Bidelia was tidying her trunk. She had been doing a lot of tidying recently, she said she was packing up, ready to go._

"_Mony! Come! Have a look at what I found at the bottom of this trunk. I forgot I even had this!" Bidelia held up a picture frame, inside, a faded black and white photo sat idly for many years, not seeing the sunlight. Mony went up closer and squinted to see through the deteriorated glass._

_There was a beautiful young lady in the centre of the picture. Her smile had a rare warmth, like sunshine on a cold, winter's morning. She was wearing a gorgeous dress. Mony couldn't tell what colour it was, since the photo was yellowed. However, the small, magnificent details of it were still clearly visible. There was lace running along the edges of her collars and cuffs. A small, dark cape draped across the lady's shoulders. Her thin waist was emphasized by a corset-like piece slightly darker than the dress. The ribbons were tied together in a bow at the back, the loop of the bow slightly visible from the front. The dress then flowered out gracefully but yet humbly in small, gentle waves. Mony's eyes were glued to the lady for a long while, before tearing her eyes away and observed the rest of the picture._

_There was a taller and much older man standing next to the girl, like her father. Her presumed mother stood on the other side. Her mother was obviously Asian. Mony had never seen an Asian before, only heard them from tales of the travellers. They have yellow skin, thin, small eyes and glowing black hair. The older woman was one of them, definitely. The travellers did say that once, a lot of European traders went to China, she thought it was called, to trade with the Chinese. Some married Chinese women and brought them back to Europe. They were interesting tales. However, she only had the luxury of eavesdropping the travellers. Mony looked back at the young lady again. Now that she saw the Asian woman, the young lady in the centre seemed to have Asian resemblances too._

_The older man on the other side had a serious face. He was holding a walking stick, probably of high quality, Mony wouldn't know. He seemed withdrawn from the other two, as if proud of his coldness, solitude and detachment. Are rich men always like that? Not wanting to appear reliant on their families._

_Bidelia took the picture back and stared a long while at it. A small nostalgic smile crept onto her lips. She gestured Mony to sit by her side._

_Mony sat down on the hard floor. It wasn't even proper floor. Just dirt. "Who's that?"_

_Bidelia smiled and ruffled the girl's hair. "That's me, you idiot."_

"_That's Bidelia?" Mony said in a surprised tone._

"_What's there to be surprised about? Have I aged so much that I do not resemble my younger and more beautiful self anymore?"_

"_No no! It's just that…Bidelia was from a family like this?"_

"_I did tell you that I came from a big family didn't I? And told you about my piano teacher. Well, we weren't rich. We were just lucky, I guess. I was lucky anyway."_

"_Then who are these other people?"_

"_Well, if that's me in the centre, who do you think the others are?"_

"_I don't know." Mony lied. She knew it was Bidelia's mother and father, but just in case…_

"_Silly girl. These two people are your grandfather and grandmother!"_

_Mony nodded. "Then they are your mother and father?"_

"_Of course! Who else can they be?"_

"_Why is your mother Asian?"_

"_She's Chinese. I don't know, actually. They never told me…maybe they never had the chance to tell me. I don't know. I grew up with my mother as she was. She never really took care of me though, a nurse did. Mother had tiny feet, she said they were hard to walk with, so she usually stays in her room. She was also very frail, always sick."_

"_Oh. Does that mean Bidelia is Chinese too?"_

"_Well, yeah, half."_

"_Does that mean I am half Chinese too?"_

"_Quarter."_

_Mony lowered her head. She was just about to ask Bidelia why she is quarter, not half but decided against it. She knew the answer. The answer lies in who one would call 'father'. _

_That hateful man is _not_ her father. She does _not_ have a father, having Bidelia is enough. Having Chase as a brother is enough. Just the three of them is enough._

_She would never ask for anything else. This is enough._

"_When I have enough time, I'll tell you about my childhood. But now, I have to do more cleaning up." Bidelia said with a warm tone._

"_Do you need any help?" Mony offered._

"_No, it's ok. Just keep that necklace safe, ok? Never take it off." Mony nodded._

* * *

"I'm going!" Allen insisted.

Having been influenced by the ability of the akuma, it was possible for Allen to shatter and disintegrate into simple molecules at any second. To keep Allen safe, Bak sent in Fou, in the disguise of Allen, into a sealed room with the akuma to battle to death as to give Allen time to escape. However, being the kind and stubborn person Allen was, he refused to escape and insisted on opening the barrier himself. Despite the entire Asian Branch staff dragging on him, he still tried everything he can to stay, including blackmailing Bak on matters of Lenalee's pictures.

"When I first met you, you asked me if I still wanted to return to the battlefield…And I answered yes."

Having guessed what Allen was going to say, Bak vigorously and yet carefully shook the boy's shoulders. "I mean once you can fight as an exorcist again! Your Innocence hasn't yet recovered! At the moment, you are just a human!"

"Wrong…" Allen first muttered under his breath, "WRONG!"

Bak was shocked by Allen's strong refusal.

"Just now…" Allen began, "When I saw the Akuma, I could feel my blood boiling so vigorously as if it had been frozen all this time. I could hear my heart pounding so loudly as if it wasn't moving until then. I could feel the blood rushing in me and the warmth was so comforting…"

"Walker? What are you saying…"

"And then I realized. Before, you likened me, 'my very existence' to an anti-akuma weapon. And maybe you were right. What my soul craved so much was an Akuma!"

Bak was wordless with shock.

"I'm not HUMAN anymore! I am an Exorcist! Please, let me return to the battlefield. Back to where the akumas were!"

Suddenly, a large beam of light, like the shape of Allen's arm, surrounded Allen and the two restraining him. It crashed down on the three along with Bak, who shielded his eyes at the bright light. When the light faded, Allen was gone.

_Bzzzz…_

Bak turned around to the sound of electricity crackling. Allen stood there. "I'm going, thank you, Bak."

Bak tightened his fist, the seal he put on the room opened. _At only 15…what I said, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, Walker._

~x.X.x~

The akuma pointed an arrogant finger at Bak, who held the injured Fou. "Dumbass, did you actually think that weak attack could hurt an Akuma?

Shining threads launched themselves at Bak and Fou, piercing them in numerous places while disintegrating them.

Fou glanced at the only thing left of Allen, his right hand, also disintegrating into a sea of matter.

For some reason, Allen's consciousness was still intact. In that one millisecond, he thought over the things Desdemona said, the things Fou said as Lou Fa, the things Bak said, and maybe, just maybe, he found an answer.

He once fought only for the akuma, it was the only thing that mattered. However, he almost gave up on that. They, the people around him, became important to him, so important that he forgot about it.

_Innocence, come to me!_

Another beam of light, shining with the light of the Innocence, came down on Allen's near-disintegrated and outstretched hand.

_My left hand, I give you to the akuma. My right, I give you to the humans. Both are part of me, and equally important, so neither will be disappointed. Humans, as well as akuma, will become my purpose._

Something white and furry came over Bak and Fou, it looked like a white fur cape with a mask, with only a left arm visible.

_Haha. This is ironic. She did say something about this when she was angry. She told him to turn into particles and get shut in the room with his Innocence._

* * *

_This is it._

_The last show._

_This is the last time, ever, that they will need to do this._

_Mony doesn't feel sad, to be leaving this hell hole once and for all. Even though it means leaving behind everything she knew, she wasn't sad._

_A little scared, maybe, to face the unknown world outside. But she know she will be fine, because Chase and Bidelia are with her._

_They will all be fine._

_But why is this happening? Mony decided she will switch the cages, now there's no chance._

_Mony stared warily at the tall, fat man standing next her, far away from the cage with an expression of disgust. Cosmo said that he wanted to make sure the newcomer is released properly. With Cosmo here, Mony can no longer just make a mistake and release Kugar. Cosmo can tell the difference, unfortunately, because the new one is obviously much bigger._

"_It stinks in here." Cosmo spat._

_The two ignored him. Chase, not knowing whether to respond and Mony, with too many other things on her mind to hear. Cosmo raised an eyebrow at the silence. He dislikes being ignored._

_Sensing Cosmo's potential anger, Chase quickly answered, "Sir, the animals are always like this."_

"_Well, you two brats should've washed them!" Cosmo raised his voice._

"_Yes Sir." Chase replied obediently, avoiding angering the man even further. Mony bit her teeth together. Her own frustration is not helping. Why do they need to comply with everything this useless man says? Why do they have to obey him? Why is he even alive? Even though without his existence she would not exist, she didn't care. She was not meant to exist anyway._

_Cosmo noticed the girl's silence. She is ignoring him. He scowled. That scum, how dare she ignore him? He suddenly lifted his leg, without any subtlety, and kicked the girl behind her knee. She was sent down into a kneeling position. She bit her teeth together as her knees impacted on the hard floor. But the pain went unnoticed. Something greater came upon her, an intense heat urging up from her chest. _

_Chase rushed to her side but froze midway. What he saw made his bones shiver. The girl glared at the large man. Even though her size was not intimidating, but her glare alone was enough to make a lion cower in fear. The glare was cold enough to freeze lava yet so much anger was emitted that the heat could cook a man alive. There was also something else, something Chase couldn't read past the extreme anger, but somehow, he knew that that something is even more frightening than her anger, he did not want to know. Then, suddenly, her eyes turned gold for a flash second. Chase thought he was hallucinating._

_He glanced at Cosmo, who was the direct receiver of that deadly glare. Chase was shocked. It was not only him who was scared. Cosmo was shaking, literally shaking. He slowly lifted a shaking hand and pointed at the girl accusingly. "D-De- The demon…" He muttered._

_Chase quickly came to his senses and continued what he was doing. He ran to his sister's side and helped her up. As she slowly stood up, her eyes never left Cosmo._

"_Mony! Mony!" Chase tried to get the girl's attention but failed. He waved a hand in front of her face, which caused her to glare towards him for a split second. Chase nearly jumped back. The direct impact of that glare is even more frightening. There's something in there that's unknown. And the unknown element is what makes it most frightening. It makes people recall their own worst fears. For Chase, it was losing either of his two family members, and just for that split second, he felt he was going to lose both of them._

_As if waking from a daze, Mony blinked several times and looked at Chase with confusion. The heat disappeared. Her anger, she can't feel it anymore. Chase had on a frightened expression, Cosmo was shaking. What just happened?_

"_Mony…" Chase started._

"_D-DEMON!" Cosmo suddenly shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the girl. "That woman. That damned woman! She gave birth to you. It's her fault! It's your fault for being born! You shouldn't exist. YOU SHOULDN'T EXIST!"_

_Chase stood in front of Mony in a defensive manner. "It's neither of their fault! It's _your_ fault! If you didn't-"_

"_Shut up! Shut up! It's not my fault. I don't know that girl…I don't know…don't know…." Cosmo's voice slowly trailed off as he slowly walked out of the Cage area in a dazed manner._

_Mony tapped Chase's shoulder. He turned back to see a frowning expression. "Why do you say it's his fault?"_

_Chase turned around. "Because-"_

"_**Ladies and gentlemen, the final show you've all been waiting for. From our Beastmaster Bidelia!"**_

_From the backstage, the two can hear the crowd cheering with excitement._

"_**Now, we are proud to announce that we bought a new tiger straight from Africa! And today, you are all lucky enough to see it for the first time! I present to you, Bidelia!"**_

_Chase ran to the curtain, watching out for the cue Bidelia will give them to release the tiger._

_Mony got another surge of unnamable sensation from her heart. Something bad is going to happen. She was sure of it. She can't release the tiger. She must not release the tiger. It's too late to do a switch now, Cosmo had been in here the entire time, costing her the time to switch the cages. There's not enough time what should she do?_

"_Come on! We need to prepare!" Chase said._

"_But-"_

_Chase rested a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "Trust in Bidelia, ok? This is the last time. After this we'll be gone from here, forever, tonight." He smiled encouragingly before turning around, starting the preparations to open the cage._

_Mony lowered her head, defeated. There's nothing she could do. She can only help Chase. If she doesn't, Chase will try to open the cage himself, which may likely lead to injuries. There's really nothing she can do anymore. She half-heartedly started picking up ropes from the floor. Her body already used to the same series of actions that it became robotic._

_A part of her was trying to warn her about something she did not yet understand. Another part of her was trying to push the first part back and lock it up. The first part is now banging inside her head, trying to get her attention. The second part is trying to restrain the first part and subdue it. _

_The loud sound of crowd cheering was heard as Bidelia steps onto the stage. Mony didn't see it, but she could imagine it. Normally, at the sound of the cheers, pride would fill her. Bidelia is amazing, this many people, cheering for her. However, tonight, the cheers sounded nothing more than irritating shouts and screams._

_Chase gestured Mony to get into position. The girl sluggishly moved over to the rope connecting to the hook. She climbed to the top of the cage, placed the hook in position, ready to be hauled. She then jumped down, landing on the other side of the cage to Chase._

_The tiger paced the small, confined space of the cage, seemingly irritated._

_The second part of her is winning against the first part. Mony calmed down a little. It's true, what Chase said. They should believe in Bidelia. She had been doing this for years and nothing has ever happened. This is the last time, nothing would happen now or in the future. It will be fine. Mony herself had been watching Bidelia train this tiger, it seemed fine. Occasionally, it would disobey some simple commands but nothing major. So this last time, it's going to be ok._

_Two loud, clear claps echoed in the performance tent, penetrating the thick curtains and reaching the ears of the two in the back stage. Chase pulled the lever._

_As soon as the metal bars were lifted up, the beast charged straight out onto the stage. Surprised screams were heard from the audience as the large beast paced the Show tent._

_The familiar sound of Bidelia's whip sounded. Then the sound of audiences' awed gasps as the large, wild beast obediently sat down on the wooden block. Mony can imagine it all, without even seeing it for herself, she can imagine it all._

_She smiled to herself, remembering that after this one last time it will be all over; remembering that after one last time they can get out of here; remembering that after this, they can be free and together. After so many years of not knowing any other way of life, they can finally get away and see the rest of the world._

_The world seems full of potential, full of hope. Maybe one day the three might be able to start a small business of their own. They don't have to depend on anyone else, just the three of them, together, happy. The thoughts made Mony smile even wider._

"_What are you thinking about? Smiling like that?" Chase said, waking the girl from her daydream._

"_I was just thinki-"_

"_Raawwwwww!"_

"_AHHHHHHHH!"_

_A booming roar followed by loud, high pitched screams came from the audience were heard. Mony and Chase jumped at the suddenness. They looked at each other across the cage. They each saw a range of emotions flashing across each other's eyes. Confusion, more confusion, realization, doubt, reasoning, horror, anxiety and alarm._

_Both of them moved in unison, they manoeuvred gracefully with skill through the backstage they've been in every single day. They jumped onto the ramp and hurried to the slit in the material of the tent. They can see the bright light shining through from the stage._

_Chase reached there first. He swiped the material away and out of his way. Mony looked up from behind the boy, only seeing him frozen rigid in place. She too reached the opening, but Chase blocked her view. She was about to look past Chase when he suddenly turned around, pulling her head into an embrace so that her view was completely obscured._

"_Don't look…" Chase's voice shook and so did his hands._

_Mony suddenly felt like she was falling into a void. The worst possible outcome, she did not even want to think about it. However, given the reactions from the audience, Chase and every detail since a week ago up to now, the only possible outcome that fits all is…is…_

_That's can't be it! Mony decides to check for herself. If she did, maybe she will be proven wrong. She struggled against Chase's grip._

"_No! I said no!" Chase reinforced._

_The moment he said that, his grip slackened a little and Mony caught a glimpse._

_It was a view she would never forget for the rest of her life._

_The audiences were all trying to escape. There was blood, blood everywhere. The tiger…the tiger had something in its mouth._

_It had something in its mouth._

_It had something in its mouth that looked like a human._

_A human hanging by the neck from the tiger's jaw._

_The human was dripping a lot of blood._

_The human was a woman._

_She had black hair._

_She wore black leather pants and jacket._

_She had a whip in her hand._

_That thing in the tiger's mouth is Bidelia._

_Bidelia is dead._

* * *

Sorry again for the late update. I'm so tired. TAT

Review!

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	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader , All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

I tried to update as soon as possible. Hope this isn't too late. 1 more day of holidays and I'll have to go back to school. Sorry to announce but I'm not going to continue this story anymore…

JOKING! No, seriously. Really. The updates are just going to be slower. I hope none of my previous no-update-for-2-months will happen again. I will try to prevent that from happening again. :D

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

_**I guess I'm stuck here.**_

_Desdemona looked around her. It hasn't changed. She's dreaming. Dreaming all this time. The old memories she had buried for so long, someone dug them up again. They were flashing before her like an old film. Reminding her of all the pain, all the despair. However, all she could do now is revive those memories. She can't feel the pain she once did. Maybe she got used to it. Or maybe her senses have turned dull._

_She's back in the field of darkness with two separate, contrasting worlds above and below her. She's tired. Really tired. So she came back. The solid surface she stood on has now turned into water. She can't move. She cannot summon even one bit of energy to move, just floating on the water, staring up at the white moon against the black sky of the world above._

_She wanted to close her eyes. Everything is tiring her out. If closing her eyes would shut out all the troublesome things in life, she'd do it. But the her troubles do not come from the outside. The troubles are inside her own head. So can't get rid of them, she can't escape them._

_It's cold in here._

_Allen…_

_Why is she thinking about him now? _

_Images of him started surfacing themselves in her mind. His white hair, his silver eyes, his smile, his cursed scar, his arm… Now that she thought about it, he's not that irritating. He doesn't look as strange as she first thought he did either. Maybe she just got used to it._

_This feeling. What is it?_

_She closed her eyes. She's tired. This is a dream, right? She'll need to wake up soon._

I'll need to wake up…

Desdemona opened her eyes.

She didn't know where she was. She's moving. There's something beneath her. Someone's back. It's warm.

There were sounds, sounds of other people running. She can't tell. There's too much noise.

The girl blinked a few times. Right beside her, Lou Fa was running too. The Chinese scientist seemed to have saw Desdemona's eyes open.

"Shifu! Shifu! She's awake! She's awake!" Lou said to the person carrying the girl.

Shifu turned his head around and glanced at the Eurasian girl. She was blinking a lot, as if trying to process all the information in her head. "You're awake! How are you feeling?"

Are they, evacuating? "I'm fine. What's happening?"

"There's an akuma invasion. It said it wanted to take Mr. Walker somewhere. Bak sealed Fou in with the akuma but Mr. Walker still wanted to fight even without his Innocence. I don't know what's happening now, because Lou Fa and I were told to get you to a safe place." Shifu explained.

"I'm fine now, Shifu. Please put me down."

Even though reluctantly, the Chinese man stopped and lowered the girl onto the ground. Her boots weren't on her feet, she realized. Shifu probably can't carry her with them on. She also wasn't wearing her coat or her shirt for that matter, just her black tank top.

"Are you ok?" Lou Fa asked with concern.

"Yeah. Where are my boots?"

Desdemona saw that Lou Fa had a string in her hand. She followed the string with her eyes and came upon her boots on a wooden board with wheels. She mentally sweardropped. These Scientific geniuses…Only if she had half their bizarre intellect.

She reached over and pulled her boots on, fearing she won't be able to walk without them. Lou Fa pushed up her glasses with a curious expression. "How do you wear that all the time?"

Desdemona shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to them."

A loud crash echoed around the cold stone walls of the Asia Branch. It was from the direction they came from. The three snapped their heads to the source of the sound. Desdemona couldn't see anything. It sounded like it was pretty far away. Do they need help? Allen doesn't have his Innocence, Bak and Fou can't really fight an akuma, maybe just restrain it or something.

Should she go?

_Go…there's something there…I need to make sure…_

"Where are they?" The exorcist asked.

"The hallway outside the training grounds where Fou and Mr. Walker usually are."

"Thanks." Desdemona started walking in the general direction of the said hallway.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Shifu asked.

"To Allen..." The girl answered without turning back. Wait, what did she just say? "…and the akuma." She added.

"No! You can't go! It's dangerous!" Lou Fa stressed.

Desdemona automatically put a hand to her belt. Where Thora was supposed to be, there was just an empty holster. She turned around to the two scientists. "Where's Thora?"

Lou Fa's face suddenly flushed red. "I knew I forgot something! It's still in the infirmary!"

Desdemona thought about it. The infirmary is somewhere in between where she was and where the akuma was. She'll just have to get it. She couldn't use Level 2 either, it's too far. As she calculated the best route to take to arrive at the battlefield while passing the infirmary with her not-so-good directional sense, she absent-mindedly started walking her yet-to-be-devised route.

"Wait! Dem! Don't go! You don't have your Innocence!" Lou Fa said with guilt.

"That's why I'm going to get it." Desdemona pointed out.

To the two Chinese scientists, this logic seemed to be reasonable. "Then we'll come with you."

The three hurried back practically the way they came. There's no one left, everyone evacuated. There was no damage either, seemed like Bak had kept the battle 'contained'.

_Go to the akuma…there's something there. The Clown, has awaken._

_**The Clown? What Clown? And what's there?**_

_You will see._

Desdemona arrived soon before the door to the infirmary, she pushed the wooden door open and Lou Fa rushed inside, insistent on making up for her carelessness. Within a minute, the scientist located the whip and handed it to Desdemona.

As soon as she returned her weapon to its rightful place on her belt, the girl started walking further towards the room where the others were battling. Shifu and Lou Fa caught up to her and prevented her from going any further.

"We were told to keep you safe! If you aren't, Bak's going to kill us!" Shifu said with a frown.

"What about, I'll knock you out and it won't be your responsibility anymore." Desdemona suggested innocently.

"No! You are coming with us!" Lou Fa said, with a demanding voice the exorcist had never heard her use before. She pulled on Desdemona's arm forcefully.

"Yes! You are coming with us!" Shifu agreed.

Desdemona sighed. These two are really troublesome.

_Go._

"Yes, yes, onto it." Desdemona answered the voice out loud. The two looked at her in confusion.

_Thora, Level 2, Stealth Type, Activate._

The whip at her hip glowed green, it extended and moved with unpredicted speed. Before the two scientists realized, they were tied up by black leather.

This form of Level 2 can only be used when the handle of the whip is in contact with Desdemona, which is quite inconvenient. It would be much better if it could be controlled from a distance so she wouldn't need to go retrieve her weapon, it could just come back by itself.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Shifu tried to struggle free.

"I can't leave you here, I can't leave Thora here. So I must bring you two with me. Sorry for dragging you into this, but I'm going." Desdemona said with certainty.

Half dragging, half carrying, half listening to all their complaints, the Eurasian exorcist moved all three of them to their destination.

The hallway and the training grounds were almost unrecognizable. The walls surrounding the area and part of the floor was destroyed. Wong and Rikei stood in the hallway, staring blankly at a newly formed wall. There was the sound of metal clashing inside. Wong noticed the three.

"Miss Beast!" Wong rushed over. "You're awake! Which is great but…what are you doing here?" The old man glanced behind the exorcist to see two fellow scientists tied up with the girl's whip. "Lou Fa! Shifu! I told you guys you need to keep Miss Beast in a safe place!"

"It's not their fault." Desdemona said, "I wanted to come." She deactivated Thora and released the scientists. Once free, Lou Fa instantly sprang up and did an hour long (really, not that long) lecture, criticizing how selfish Desdemona is and how irresponsible she is. She listened to everything with a constant, rhythmic nod of head while not registering anything the older female said.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND? DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Lou Fa ended her lecture.

"Yes, yes. I understand." Desdemona nodded. She turned to Wong. "Where are they? Allen, Bak and Fou."

"In there, the wall Bak created from the Guardian Diety." Wong gestured to the previously non-existent wall.

_It's in there. _

_**In there? Right.**_

Desdemona walked up to the wall and touched a hand to the hard, cold material. She carefully examined the surface while ignoring all the questions the Asia Branch staffs are firing at her from behind.

"Miss Beast. What are you doing?" Wong asked.

"Did you not hear anything I said?" Lou Fa said angrily, "Don't think about going in there!"

"No! Don't try going in there! A person like Mr. Walker is already a handful for us to handle!"

She searched every single inch of the surface and finally found what she wanted to find. A crack. There was a crack. This wall wasn't sealed properly, as if Bak was sealing it but found something else that caught his attention and lost concentration. But a crack is all she needed.

_Thora. Level 2, Stealth Type, Activate_

Thora glowed green once again. Desdemona pulled it out by the handle and let the rest drop onto the ground as she too sat down on the ground. As if coming alive, Thora crawled on the floor like a snake before lifting its front up to the crack and started penetrating the wall. Bit by bit, Thora broke the hard material and came out the other side.

_Sensory Replacement, Sight, Sound, Activate_

Desdemona closed her eyes. The ones behind her were watching carefully, trying to figure out what she was trying to do. For once, they were all quiet.

Shutting out the sounds around her, she was gradually able to hear and see, through Thora.

There was debris, debris everywhere. There was water, seemed like they broke a water pipe and now it's flooding. The sound of clashing metal was gone. Desdemona willed Thora to 'look' around and spotted Bak, holding Fou, staring in awe at something. Thora lowered itself flat against the water's surface and advanced towards the two in a zigzag, like a snake. As Thora neared, Desdemona saw that Fou and Bak looked like they were breaking apart. Cracks were all over them, as if their bodies were going to fall apart.

Thora turned and lifted itself off the water's surface. There, straight in front of its 'eyes', was an akuma and someone else. It was someone in a white-hooded cowl; stiff, spiky white hair and a black, silver and gold mask. The cowl covered most of his body, leaving the exception of his left arm. The arm was black and slender, seemingly very inhuman. At its end, instead of a hand, there were razor sharp claws. They weren't fighting. The akuma seemed to have lost all its limbs, a Level 3. It was immobilized. The person was talking to it.

_The Clown, has awakened._

Desdemona, though a bit delayed, recognized that person was indeed Allen. The arm, he got his arm back.

_It's there. Look further._

Thora turned around, trying to search for what the Other Half was looking for.

"Please tell me, akuma. Who sent you here and to where were you supposed to take me?" Allen asked the akuma.

Thora continued searching until it found something looking out of place.

"Ahahaha. If you'd spare me, I'll tell you!" The akuma said with humour, knowing full well that's not going to happen.

There was something in the water at the far corner. An arrangement of irregular, 2-D polygons lined vertically. The top polygon had a number on it, '-57-', it said.

"Ok, I will." Allen smiled warmly. "So please tell me."

The akuma laughed. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! You don't plan on saving me, you fake actor! It's Master Noah. Master Tyki sent me!"

Thora got closer to the panel. _**Is this it?**_

_Yes._

_**What is it?**_

_I don't know. Though some call it the Ark._

_**Ark? Like a ship?**_

_It is just a name._

"I wonder what's going on about in Edo? Especially with your friends! Master Tyki and four other Noahs are over there, and the Earl too!"

Thora instantly turned towards the akuma. Desdemona frowned. Are the others over there? In Edo? Fighting five Noahs and the Earl himself?

"Allen? Don't you think they are in big trouble?" The akuma said gravely.

Allen gently pointed a talon to the immobilized akuma's forehead and drew a line straight down. The path where his claw went left a shining white path. "Thank you."

"The Noah's Ark…Right there…Ride it. Allen…It'll warp you through space and take you to Edo."

"…Why…are you telling me this?" The exorcist asked, while drawing a horizontal line intersecting the first one, forming a cross.

"Why? Because Master Tyki ordered me to. No…Actually. I don't know…but for some reason…I feel really good."

The white cross shone brighter and enveloped the akuma. When the light faded, the akuma was nowhere to be seen.

"Good night."

_The battle is over. And about the Ark, get close to it when you can. Get your Innocence out of there for now._

_**What's the Ark for?**_

_That, I am not sure. However, there is a heavy presence of Dark Matter._

* * *

"YOU ARE UNBELIEVABLY IRRESPONSIBLE!" Bak literally screamed into Desdemona's ear. The lecture Lou Fa gave her, it's repeating all over again, but by Bak.

"YOU DO REALISE YOU PASSED OUT WITH NO SIGN OF LIFE! NO. SIGN. OF. LIFE! DO YOU NOW UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS? THAT MEANS YOU NEARLY DIED YOU SELFISH, IRRESPONSIBLE BRAT!" Desdemona nodded continuously, her neck's starting to hurt.

"DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THAT PLACE WAS DANGEROUS! THERE WAS A LEVEL 3 AKUMA THAT PASSED THROUGH THE BARRIER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE SERIOUSNESS OF YOUR CRIME?"

Desdemona kept on nodding. Her neck hurts. She really didn't see the seriousness of her crime. She's an exorcist, after all. She wanted to point that out, but decided against it.

"DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO CHERISH HUMAN LIFE? DO YOU NOT VALUE LIFE? IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU WERE GIVEN AS A HUMAN! DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ITS IMPORTANCE?"

Allen listened to the loud 'conversation' in the corridor outside. He was starting to feel sorry for Dem…He smiled. He was relieved, maybe not entirely relieved of all his worries but at least one worry was gone, for now. She's awake and she's ok. What's really important is that she's fine. Wong did a check up on her and found nothing wrong. It's good, it's good.

He absent-mindedly wondered why he was so relieved. A little too relieved in fact. He dismissed it as a wish to never see anyone die again, especially after his failure to save Soman and experiencing death for himself.

Wong loomed over him, checking his arm, his eye and basically checking everything.

"DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND HOW SELFISH AND IRRESPONSIBLE YOU ARE?"

Wong laughed. "Oh, poor girl. Bak is really on edge today. I've hardly seen him this angry." Although his words suggested he was sympathetic towards the girl, his laughs made him seem amused by the girl's suffering.

"NOW GET OUT OF HERE AND REFLECT ON YOUR ACTIONS!"

Bak's screaming was followed by the familiar sound of Desdemona's boots hitting the floor as she walked away.

"You're good as new! Perfect condition!" Wong said as he handed Allen his shirt and opened the door for the boy. Allen put on his shirt and headed for the room Bak was in. He glanced down the hallway he heard Desdemona walk down seconds before in hope of catching the girl but she was nowhere to be seen.

~x.X.x~

So…this is the Ark.

Desdemona stood in front of the vertically placed arrangement of irregular polygons. It's quite big.

The other exorcists, they are in Edo, presumably on the other end of this transportation device.

There were a lot of Scientists here. Taking pictures and writing down records on this strange piece of apparatus.

Should she go? Go with him. It would mean more fighting, more battles. She honestly doesn't want to do something so tiring anymore. It's tiring. Plus, there's nothing to gain from going, is there? She will just tire herself out while doing just about nothing. Five Noahs and the Earl himself. It will be tough. One person would not make much difference. If they can win, they can win without her. If they can't win, they won't win with her there either.

It makes no difference. She gently touched the treasured necklace at her neck.

_**Should I go?**_

_It doesn't make a difference. You decide._

_**I knew it.**_

_You don't know. I don't mean it in that way…_

The voice, Bidelia's gentle voice, trailed off. Desdemona sighed. She won't go. The akuma said the Noah only wanted Allen to go. If she went, it would seem like she answered an invitation that was not addressed to her. Her pride would not allow that.

"Miss Beast!" Desdemona turned around, Rikei was calling for her. "Bak asked you to go to him in the Main Control Room."

Desdemona nodded, "Got that." She glanced one last time at the Ark before heading for the Main Control Room.

~x.X.x~

"_So?_" Komui said on the other side of the line. "_What do you say?_"

Desdemona thought about it. "I don't know anything about it. Maybe, just intuition."

"_Intuition? On both these cases? Well, I might not say both yet, since there's currently no way of contacting the Cross team in Edo and confirm Lenalee's condition. However, we did confirm the approximate time you passed out the first time and the approximate time Allen was attacked by the Noah. It can't be mere coincidence, can it?"_

"…" Desdemona stayed silent. They can't know about the necklace, yet.

"_Was my Lenalee really in danger?_" Komui's tone instantly changed, from the serious Supervisor of the Black Order Headquarters to a man with sister-complex.

"I'm not sure. It was just a feeling."

"_But you were right the first time. Are you sure Lenalee's not safe out there?_"

"I'm not sure about anything right now. I'm still confused about everything. No one told me anything. Why did the akuma want Allen to go anyway? How come Allen attacked by the Noah in the first place? No one explained anything to me. I'm the one who needs to do a whole lot of interrogation here!" Desdemona suddenly got desperate. It was true. No one told her anything. She only had her poor imagination and guessing skills to make sense of everything.

Komui audibly sighed. "_Calm down, girl. I'm not even sure myself. But I can say that the Noah didn't just attack Allen. Most of the other deceased exorcists showed the same autopsy results. If what Allen told us was true, the Noah that attacked everyone has the ability to pass through anything at his will, hence the weird autopsy results. However, after 'killing' Allen, the Noah stopped attacking Exorcists. Whether his target was Allen in the first place is still unclear._"

Desdemona listened and frowned. That doesn't answer any of her questions. All Komui could say is basically that he doesn't know either. This is useless. "All right, so you don't know either. I guess it's futile, asking you. Is there anything else that you want me to do or all you wanted to ask whether Lenalee is safe?"

"_Oh _y_es, Dem. There is something else you can help me with if you can. You know how the akuma said Lenalee is also in Edo? Can I please entrust you with a heavy responsibility that no one is able to take other than you._"

"Saying that won't provoke me into agreeing." The girl said, familiar now with Komui's way of words.

"_Oh, don't say that Dem. Well, you know how Allen's going into the Ark…He's alone and he's a rash person…_"

"I'm not going into the Ark."

"_Dem! Please!_"

"We don't even know what's inside the Ark! It might be a trap! And plus, the Noah only said Allen should go, it doesn't concern me."

"_Because we don't know what's inside that's why we want someone to go with him! Another exorcist is the best choice!_"

"Even if I do go, if it's a trap it will make no difference! It's not like it's a trap, and if I decide to go it's not a trap anymore!"

"_Yes! But two is always better than one!_"

"Oh, so you say two dead is better than one dead."

"_No! Desdemona. I'm getting impatient. I do realize you just came out of a life-threatening situation, I do realize that you may still be weak, I do realize that you may be tired from all this. However, for the sake of your comrades, for the sake of humanity, for the sake of the world-"_

"Why should I care about the word? Why should I care about humanity? Humans, they do nothing other than hurt each other to make themselves stand at the top. Even without this war, humans are going to kill each other with wars of their own. Why should I do anything to save a world, that is already destructing itself, from destruction?"

"_THEN WHAT ABOUT YOUR COMRADES? THOSE WHO FIGHT ALONGSIDE YOU IN THIS WAR! IF THE WORLD DOESN'T CONCERN YOU, WHAT ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS? ARE YOU NOT HUMAN? DO YOU FEEL NO NEED TO VALUE THE LIFE OF THOSE AROUND YOU?"_

Desdemona opened her mouth, ready to argue back. She had reasons, even though these reasons are not the noblest of reasons or even justified. However, revealing these reasons, it's like revealing her weakness, exposing herself to harm, that's how she felt. There's no way to argue back otherwise. So maybe, she'll have to go…

"_DO YOU NOT CARE ABOUT EVEN ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS? I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE OTHERS, BUT LENALEE IS A NICE PERSON! SHE WAS NICE TO YOU! DO YOU EVEN NOT CARE ABOUT HER?"_

Desdemona widened her eyes. All of those previous questions, they were just a big loop Komui used to subtly (or not so subtly) achieve his ultimate goal. "So, the real reason you want me to go is to make sure Lenalee is safe."

"_Um…_", Komui seemed ponder on how to word his thoughts, "_You see, all the other guys, they really don't care much about keeping everyone alive, especially Kanda. Lavi is a Bookman, he's not really on our side, we can't trust him completely. Crowley…he's just not concerned about Lenalee enough. Miranda, though she's got good intentions, can never do anything right. Allen…he's kind, nice and all, but I wouldn't trust Lenalee to him. After all, he just went through mental instability. And plus, he's rash and don't really think over his actions. So…my only remotely hopeful bet is you, Dem! YOU ARE MY ONLY HOPE!_"

Desdemona, knowing how well Komui knows her, smirked. "So basically, you are making use of my previously discussed uncaring trait rather than trying to oppose it? Knowing full well that if you said to keep Lenlaee safe, I'd abandon every other untrustworthy personnel to achieve your goal?"

"_Oh, Dem! You are by far the most trustworthy exorcist out there these days._" Komui said, though Desdemona realized it was an empty praise.

"Ha! I must admit I'm far better than the other guys." Desdemona said cheekily, only to realize the inevitable path her words led to.

Komui's not stupid, he pounced at the chance straight away. "_Oh yes you are! And as I can see you see yourself fit for this particular task. Then I'll leave it to you! Thank you!_"

Before the girl had a chance to object, the Supervisor hung up. Desdemona stood there listening to the dial tone of the telephone. She's got no choice now. She basically just agreed. She can't go back on an agreement.

Why is she so stupid?

~x.X.x~

Allen stood before the thing called the 'Ark'. There was a butterfly flying above it. Allen knew that butterfly. It was the golem the Noah Tyki had. So Tyki really did send the akuma here after all.

At the corner of his eyes, he saw Desdemona kneeling on the steps, using her whip, she willed it to poke itself in and then quickly out. Once she became certain it could come back about again, she poke more of her whip in. It was quite amusing to watch actually. For once, the girl looked childish. Like a child playing with something new for the first time.

Allen's eyes trailed to her exposed left shoulder as she was only wearing her tank top. Her entire left shoulder was tattooed up to her left upperarm. Allen stared at the curious black patterns, wondering what it meant.

"Walker! Can you come here?" Bak called.

Allen hurried over and Bak held out something thin and shiny. "What's this?" Allen asked.

"It's a wireless transceiver I've been working on. I'm pretty sure it'll be ok but…Apparently, the normal wireless golems weren't strong enough to enter the 'Ark'…"

"_Can you hear me Allen?_"

"Komui!" Allen exclaimed, recognizing the voice. "Did something happen?"

Behind Allen, Bak tapped on Desdemona's shoulder and passed her a similar earring.

"_Oh no, it's just that I'm supposed to keep you from pushing yourself too hard. We still haven't been able to confirm that thing is actually the 'Noah's Ark'. It may be a space-transferring device but there are too many things we still don't understand and it may be a trap. So with this communication device, we can get into the 'Ark' together with you. If I decide it's dangerous, I'll have you come back out immediately…_"

"WHAT? NO MATTER WHAT I WON'T RETREAT!" Allen screamed.

Komui sighed. He knew Allen would be like this. "_You still speak recklessly, looks like that part of you hasn't changed at all. But you're our comrade and you mean a lot to us. It's only natural for us to want to protect you, or are you trying to say that you don't consider us your comrades?_"

"Ok, I'll listen…"

"_Oh yeah! Dem's going with you._"

"Huh?" Allen looked back to the said girl, Wong was helping to fix another one of the earring-communicators to her ear while she put her shirt and coat back on. She caught Allen's stare. Allen panicked and looked away quickly.

"Ok, it's done." Wong said.

"Thanks." Desdemona muttered. She turned around and stepped into the 'Ark' and disappeared behind the dark panel. Allen walked up the stairs and was about to follow.

"Wait! Mr. Walker!" Lou Fa screamed, running all the way across the room. She held up a set of poker cards. "Mr. Walker, your cards…it was missing the Spade Ace so the three of us made another one…"

Allen took over the pack of cards, "Thank you."

Lou Fa blushed crimson, "T-take care!"

Shifu stuck up his thumb with a smile, "See you again Walker!"

Allen returned the gesture, "Yup!"

Bak spoke into his transmitter that connects to Allen's earring. "Walker, make sure both of you come back!"

~x.X.x~

Desdemona looked around. It's like a town in here. All the buildings were white and there were many doors around. There were plants too. So this is the Ark.

A little while later, Allen appeared behind her from thin air. Upon opening his eyes, he jerked back with confusion. "Huh?"

"_Huh? What's wong?_" Komui's alarmed voice said.

"It's just very different from what I had imagined." Allen answered.

"_What can you see?_"

Desdemona started wondering forwards, looking around at the strange constructions and doors. Allen followed.

"It's like a tropical town full of white brick buildings as far as I can see."

"_How are you feeling?_"

"I'm ok…we're just going forwards."

"_What about you? Dem?_"

"Yeah, I'm fine." The girl said as she looked into one of the plot plants on the side of the 'street'.

"_Be careful you two! Don't get lost! And both of you! Don't do anything rash!_"

Allen cautiously went forwards as Desdemona looked around, opening some doors and looking through them.

"Komui…" Allen started. "Do you think everyone's ok?"

Silence was heard on Komui's end. Then, he said something completely unrelated to Allen's question. "_When you're feeling anxious, think about the happy things._"

"Happy things?" Allen repeated.

"_Can't think of any right now? Well, for example, when everyone comes back, I'll say 'Welcome back.' And pat everyone on their shoulder. Then, I'll give Lenalee a big hug! I'll have to get a lot of food for you too. Then, I'll try to force Dem to eat something proper. But…if she really doesn't want to, I'll tell her in a serious tone 'Only this once, I'll let you off.' Lavi will probably fall asleep in the middle of nowhere, so I'll have to put a blanket over him. It'll be nice if we adults could have a toast with some wine. Then we'll fool around making a lot of noise. If we fall asleep like that, it'll be really great…Then, he'll be a little late, but Kanda will come in with that grumpy face…"_

Allen listened and smiled. These sorts of things. Now, it's not good to be worried, if he keeps these things in mind, there's always something to work towards and hope for.

Desdemona listened to the advice of the Supervisor and wondered what she could hope for in the future…

_I just wanted to stay together with them…_

That same feeling, the same feeling. An uneasiness, like there's danger and she could do nothing about it. Helplessness.

_Lenalee…_

Desdemona looked down the road, she has no idea where to go, but if she goes forwards, she'll go somewhere, right?

She looked back to the white-haired boy, who was walking cautiously and looking around in wary. "Hurry up!"

She started running forwards, there were no forks in the road or anything. It only leads to one place. Allen followed, unable to comprehend the sudden hurry.

* * *

"Achoo! A~CHOO!" The Earl sneezed.

With only one blow, the entire was reduced to ashes. There's nothing in sight other than darkness.

Lero, the Earl's talking umbrella golem, looked back at the Earl. "Master Earl, are you ok, lero? Your nose is running, lero."

Tyki sat on the roof of a traditional Japanese building. "Oh, I see an exorcist. They survived?"

From the field of darkness, a single katana struck the floor, supporting its master, who was breathing heavily. "Ha…I won't go down!" Kanda frowned and gritted his teeth.

Somewhere behind Kanda, Marie slowly got up to his knees. "Oh no…those in the Cross team…their heartbeats are fainter than ours. They are barely alive!"

Further away, Bookman and Crowley lay motionlessly on the ground.

Chaoji held his head, trying to protect himself. When nothing came, he opened his tightly closed eyes and saw Miranda with her Innocence activated. "Miss Exorcist! You…you protected us?"

Miranda had sweat pouring down her face and a trail of blood running out from the side of her mouth. "I…I couldn't make it in time for the others…" She said, blaming herself.

Lavi struggled to get up. "Lenalee…"

_Lavi…_

The redhead detected something shining at the corner of his eyes. He turned around. The crystal. There was an Innocence crystal right next to him. "There again…" Lavi breathed, recognizing the crystal as the one that engulfed Lenalee the first time.

Kanda looked at the crystal, "What's that?"

_Kanda…Lavi…_

Lenalee's voice. It's Lenalee's voice.

_Everyone…everyone!_

A hand reached out and touched the crystal from the inside.

The Millennium Earl looked down at the crystal with a grin, "There's something about that Innocence…!"

"Kanda! Watch out!" Marie suddenly screamed.

Almost immediately, the Noah with dark, curly hair attacked. Kanda blocked him with his sword. "I'll be taking her." The Noah said with a smile.

"YUU!" Lavi screamed as a large explosion was seen where Kanda was standing. Suddenly, something large blocked his sight. Lavi looked up, there stood a Noah, nearly twice as tall as Lavi.

The extremely large akuma that Kanda slashed clean in half seemed to restore itself. General Tiedoll stepped up to it and drew his weapon, a cross and a sceptre-like rod. The rod suddenly shone of a light in the shape of a chisel.

"Witness the beauty of this world…" Tiedol said, before hammering the chisel into the ground, creating a large cloud of white dust that took on the shape of a giant, matching the size of the akuma.

Lavi dodged an attack from the large Noah. Lavi glanced over the shoulder of the Noah, the Millennium Earl descended slowly and yet threateningly down to the crystal in which Lenalee was. "LENALEE!"

The Earl drew back his hand, a ball of Dark Matter energy gathered in his palm. His permanent exaggerated grin only made him seem more frightening. The Earl hurled the black ball of energy towards the crystal.

Suddenly, the sky seemed to 'split', revealing a bazaar arrangement of dark, shiny polygons. Something white shot out from one the panels. An arm, a left arm, shot out from thin air, grabbing the Earl's wrist, stopping the attack.

"Good evening, Earl." Allen said with a polite smile.

"Good evening. So we meet again, Allen Walker."

Desdemona came out behind Allen. Even though she was the one who said to hurry, he shot out with his Innocence activated first. Why does he have to beat her to everything?

She looked in the direction Allen went and her eyes widened with shock. Is that…is that the Earl of Millennium?

Allen was holding one of the Earl's wrists, where the black ball of Dark Matter shrunk as it lost energy. However, with his free hand, the Earl summoned another ball and directed it at Allen, who dodged it just in time in a white flash, landing several meters away from the Earl. He charged back at the Earl again.

The Millennium Ear took a hold of his umbrella and drew out a broad, long, two edged sword. Its edges were white and the centre was black with a large white cross. The Earl swung the sword at Allen, who blocked it with his left arm.

"That form…" The Earl began, "You look like, the White Clown that chases after the Auguste Clown*…don't you think?" The Earl grinned wider. "You're such a strange child."

An explosion came suddenly from where the Earl and Allen were. Desdemona got a face-full of dust to welcome her to the battlefield. She bumped into something and tripped over. _Why the hell did I come again?_

Lavi's view was obstructed. Out of the white dust, something white with a mask suddenly appeared before his face. _What's this? An Akuma?_

The white thing landed beside him. "Lavi?" Allen exclaimed. He seemed to be blown away by the explosion. "Have you seen the Earl anywhe-"

"OI! STOP IT RIGHT THERE!"

_CLANG!_

"DIE!"

Allen instinctively lifted his left arm to block the attack. Lavi, who saw from the side, recognized the Japanese. Kanda wondered why his last step felt a bit weird, maybe the dust disorientated his senses.

Desdemona was just about to get up when something landed on her back, pushing her painfully down back onto the ground. That thing was heavy but it was gone just as fast. Desdemona lay there, unwilling to get up. Her back hurts…

"K-Kanda?" Allen exclaimed. Kanda widened his eyes in surprise as he recognized the Bean Sprout. Even though the two recognized each other, they did not withdraw their weapons. Lavi sweatdropped.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Kanda said in a threatening tone.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Allen replied, no less gentler.

"I was after that Noah guy with the curly hair! Oi Lavi! See where he went?"

Lavi looked around looking for his own opponent. "Eh? What happened to that bug dude I was fighting?"

The three looked around. The dust hasn't cleared yet. However, there was no sign of the Noahs or the Earl.

"CHE!" Kanda cursed in Allen's face.

"What are you tch-ing at me for! You got in my way!" Allen had a vein pop out at his forehead. "They for away because you're _slow_ Kanda!"

"What did you just say? How dare you say that when you came poking in later, you slow Bean Sprout!"

"My **NAME **is **Allen**! How many times must I tell you that? Oh, never mind, I forgot not only you are slow, but you are also SLOW-WITTED!"

"OF ALL THE NERVE I'LL SHOW YOU WHO'S SLOW-WITTED! DAMN! I'LL SHAVE OFF THAT WHITE HAIR OF YOURS AND SELL IT TO OLD GEEZERS!"

"BLACK HAIR WILL SELL FOR A MUCH HIGHER PRICE!"

Lavi watched the two give each other fairly severe tongue-lashes. "Uh…isn't this supposed to be a touching reunion…?"

The said two turned rigidly and glared at Lavi with each of their own deadly glare, each of them scary in their own way. Allen's was dark, like a demon. Kanda's was scorching with rage. Lavi recoiled.

"Lavi, just shut the hell up." Allen said, calmly, politely, yet extremely threatening.

"I'LL SHAVE YOUR WHOLE BODY HAIRLESS!" Kanda spat. (Yes, red hair does sell the best out of the three)

What? Kanda, Allen and Lavi? They were to Desdemona's right, according to their voices. She slowly and painfully got up. One of them must have stepped on her. Rage overtook her as she pinpointed the three conversing loudly through the white dust. How dare they STEP ON HER?

The three suddenly felt a chill down their spine. No, it's not that the temperature dropped. No, it's not a chilling gust of wind. It's a fearsome aura. Murderous.

The three male exorcists slowly turned to their left, where a dark silhouette was seen through the fading dust screen. They swallowed as a pair of frighteningly piercing eyes glared at them.

"D-dem! Hey! What are you doing here? How did you get here?" Lavi tried. He didn't know why she was emitting such an aura, but it was mysterious enough she was there in the first place. Wasn't she supposed to be with General Klaud? That aside, her eyes were not at all less frightening that Allen's or Kanda's, maybe even more frightening. Women tend to be scarier in general…

Allen shivered. That feeling, it's familiar. He had experienced it before, the time when she attacked him straight after he woke up from the anaesthetics from Komurin 2. It wasn't pleasant. She threw him head-first straight through a shelf of books and hitting the next, which was already bad enough. After he landed on the floor, the books on the second shelf began falling down on top of him, then the first shelf decided to lose balance and tip backwards onto Allen. He stayed in an oxygen-deprived environment amongst horrifying books for around 2 hours before he got dug back out. All in all, it was a pretty horrifying experience. He whispered to Lavi, "She came with me on the Ark."

"Who…" The girl said, so quiet and yet so clear that none of her wrath was unheard. "happened to mistake my back for the ground?"

Lavi and Allen froze. They weren't sure what exactly she was talking about. However, they did know that whoever she was talking about will not be let off easily. Allen knew it, he knew it too well.

Kanda addressed the girl with a bored expression. "No wonder that step felt weird…" He muttered. The girl's sharp ears didn't miss it. Her head turned slowly towards Kanda.

Sensing impending danger, Lavi and Allen evacuated quickly in the blink of an eye.

Swiftly and quickly, Desdemona drew out Thora at her hip. It activated straight to Level 2, which made it look like she drew a blade straight from her belt. In one single swipe, the girl drew the blade and slashed at Kanda.

The Japanese will not lose on speed and reflex. Moreover, this has become a battle of swords; his samurai pride will not allow him to lose. With the obvious skill difference, he will not lose anyway. Kanda blocked the attack with his still drawn katana, trusty Mugen. The impact made a loud clanging noise that echoed through the empty field with still patches of white smoke lingering about.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" The now angered Japanese spat.

Without a warning, the double-edged sword broke apart in sections yet still connected, making it flexible and bent downwards. With a strong pull on the hilt, Desdemona wrapped the blade-whip onto the katana, she pulled more, threatening to disarm the Japanese exorcist.

Kanda sneered, if she was competing with strength, she would definitely lose. His samurai pride will not let him be disarmed. Letting go of one's katana will signify letting go of one's pride.

The girl smiled slightly. This man is certainly simple minded, his head filled with stupidity.

_Level 3, Thunder Rage._

The blade-whip crackled with electricity along its length. Kanda widened his eyes, half-guessing what the girl was about to do. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it.

She didn't wrap her weapon around Kanda's to disarm him. She did it to immobilize him. She knew he wouldn't let go of his weapon to dodge the attack. His pride will lead him to ruin.

The small electric sparks turned into a bright, electric blue light, enveloping the entire length of the blade-whip. The large amount of electricity travelled at great speed through Mugen and then to Kanda. Metal conducts electricity.

The Japanese was engulfed in the crackling blue electricity that was short-lived. It disappeared as fast as it came, leaving a burnt/blackened /cooked exorcist standing idly with black smoke emitting from his body.

The girl calmly deactivated her Innocence, which turned back into the black whip and returned to her belt, and turned around to look at the previously evacuated two.

Lavi and Allen swallowed. Will they be next?

~x.X.x~

Somehow, they managed to gather everyone and settled themselves under a nearby bridge. Lenalee came out of the crystal but she was still unconscious.

"I didn't come here with the intention of helping him." General Tiedoll explained, referring to General Cross. "He thinks of others as nothing but pawns. As far as I know, you guys were decoys to buy some time for Marian to escape. Understand so far?"

"Yes…" Bookman answered quietly. "We came here after we got a warning, so we expected something like this to happen."

"Hm…" General Tiedoll contemplated on the reasons behind General Cross's actions. "Right now, the only living exorcists are Hevlaska, Sokaro, Cloud, Marian and the 10 of us here. Since I believe it is not the time to battle with the Millennium Earl, it should be your top priority as exorcists to stay alive until the time is right…"

Desdemona stood outside the tunnel formed by the arc of the bridge. Kanda has attempted to kill her several times now and was still occasionally glaring at her back from behind. She can feel it. However, she seldom bothered to turn around. She looked up at the blue sky. This is the home of millions of akumas, is it not? But that didn't affect at all the beauty of a cloudless sky. She rarely sees those in England.

"I think that Team Cross should leave the battlefield immediately!" General Tiedoll continued.

Lying on the ground, Lenalee blinked several times as her vision became clearer. Leaning above her was Allen, Lavi was right next to him. They smiled warmly down at her.

"It's me Lenalee, yes, it's me. I'm so sorry, so sorry Lenalee." Desdemona heard Allen's voice. Lenalee is awake? The Eurasian girl turned around and saw Lenalee trying to sit up. Desdemona smiled. At least she's fine and alive. Komui would not bother her now.

"What are you apologizing for? If it has to do with Suman, don't be sorry. He didn't die in vain. I'm certain that you saved Suman's soul, Allen. Welcome back…" Lenalee said, in an attempt to comfort the boy.

Desdemona watched from a distant away. Lenalee slowly sat up and touched a hand to Allen's cheek. Allen was about to cry.

Something tugged in the girl's chest as she quickly turned the other way to stare at the sky again. _Why are they so embarrassing!_ Desdemona hates it when people cry. Touching reunions are the worst.

"I'm back, Lenalee. I'm finally back!" Allen's voice shook as tear started rolling down his face. It was followed by Lavi teasing Allen about crying, Allen saying something about Lavi crying too…

Desdemona slowly turned back, catching Lenalee's stare. The older girl flashed a warm smile, Desdemona smiled back.

Suddenly, Lenalee seemed to fall into the floor. Where there was solid ground, now a shining circle with a black pentacle at its centre seemed to suck the exorcist in.

"LENALEE!" Allen screamed, he extended a hand and grabbed Lenalee's hand, wanting to pull her up. However, the force was too strong, Allen too was pulled in. Lavi grabbed Allen's leg, Chaoji grabbed Lavi's hand, Kanda grabbed Chaoji then Crowley grabbed Kanda. Desdemona was about to draw her whip and wrap its end onto Crowley when a bright light shone from where the exorcists were. Desdemona shielded her eyes away from the blinding light.

As soon as it appeared, the light disappeared, taking the exorcists along with it. They disappeared into the ground…

What the hell happened?

* * *

* Some manga translations translate it as "The Whiteface that chases after Auginiste" another one said "the White Clown that picks on the Auguste Clown"

Here's the explanation. In the world of 'clowns' there are different types of clowns that plays different roles. The Whiteface is a character that is serious, all knowing and the one with most authority. The Auguste clown however, is foolish and often the anarchist. The Whiteface is head-to-toe white, hence the resemblance to Allen's Innocence. The Whiteface has authority over Auguste. He often orders the Auguste around and the Auguste creates humour when he fails or messes up the orders the Whiteface give him.

The Auguste clown is very colourful and often performs gags. This has a striking resemblance to Mana. The reason I chose the phrasing "The White Clown that chases after the Auguste Clown" is pun. It can both mean Allen looks like the Whiteface Clown that picks on and orders around the Auguste Clown, or it can hint Allen 'chased after' Mana down a path he now walks without Mana. Though the Millennium Earl only meant it in the first sense.

Hope that helps. :D

REVIEW!

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	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

Desdemona blinked several times at the brown dirt floor where just a second ago, Lenalee laid.

Everyone just got sucked into the floor via a black pentacle. Lenalee, Allen, Chaoji, Lavi, Crowley and even Kanda. They were all gone.

What is happening?

Suddenly, someone, screamed. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"

The Eurasian exorcist felt a shadow fall across her and looked up to the sky. She was shocked silent.

The rest of the exorcists came out from beneath the tunnel, all of them stopped as soon as they saw the sky.

The sky was breaking apart, literally b breaking apart, like a jigsaw puzzle. A large hole in the sky revealed a peculiar object.

It was a cube, yet not entirely a cube. It was a cube alright. However, its surfaces were uneven. It had cubes protruding outwards or sinking inwards, almost like this cube was a collection of irregular rectangular prisms that were not arranged properly. Desdemona recognized the structure. It looked strikingly like the cube on which the Ancients passed on the knowledge of the Innocence. The one the Grand Generals always rant about to new exorcists.

"Oh God!" Marie exclaimed.

"H-how can this be?" General Tiedoll muttered.

Desdemona stared wide eyed. This thing. What exactly is it? Is it dangerous? Should they be destroying it, running away from it, or what?

_It's Dark Matter._

_**Dark Matter? The Earl's? Should we fight or run.**_

_Do neither. You cannot run away even if you wish._

_**What do you mean?**_

_This object, it is what they called the Ark. The Noah's transportation system._

_**Transportation? The akuma did say the Ark can warp space, right? Then, could it be that Allen, Lenalee and the others are inside there?**_

_Most likely. The Exorcists are inside._

"Something is here…" Bookman suddenly said, looking towards the horizon beneath the breaking sky. Desdemona followed the Bookman's gaze. Large, human-like silhouettes were seen moving towards the exorcists.

"Marie…What can you hear?" General Tiedoll inquired.

"Perhaps 20 or 30 bodies. All of them are that giant form of Akuma." Marie reported.

"The radio communication with the kids has been severed. What are you going to do?" Bookman said.

"Oh dear…" The General drooped his head.

Radio communication? Desdemona hadn't thought about it much, but that earring Bak gave her might be able to connect to Allen. He did say it could withstand the Ark, right?

Miranda suddenly fell on her knees. Desdemona and the other two Chinese from the boat rushed to the older woman's side. She clutched her left hand to her chest. Desdemona glanced at her hand. She had kept her Innocence activated…it must be hard on the body. She was told that Miranda could temporarily stop, reverse, speed up at her will. However, when she deactivates her Innocence, all these effects will be gone. She had only met the woman once before, in the hospital where she accompanied Komui to fix Allen's arm.

"Are you ok, Miss Lotto?" Desdemona asked while helping her back into the 'tunnel' while the General, Marie and Bookman made preparations to 'welcome' the giant akumas.

Still outside, the General quietly took out something from his cloak. It was shining and squeaking. A piece of Innocence, undoubtedly. "Please go to them." The General said as he released the Innocence. It flew straight towards the Ark.

Miranda was breathing heavily, the toll on her body must be huge. "Y-yes. Thank you for your concern Miss Beast. I-I'm fine."

"You must be quite tired." Kie, a tall Chinese man with bleached hair, said with concern.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I can feel it. Allen and the others' injuries are in my Time Record, which is good since it means they are still alive but…I can only remove their past injuries, meaning it doesn't prevent them from getting further injuries. I should have used 'Time Recovery' on them instead…"

"Don't blame yourself! Miss Miranda! Please rest!" Maosa, the other Chinese man said. He was shorter with dark black hair.

Desdemona frowned. There's nothing she could do, is there? Maybe…trying to contact the others would be a start.

Desdemona tapped on the earring communicator and listened closely. There was nothing but static noise for a while, then, she seemed to be able to hear something…

"_There's…tzzz… trust Road…tzzz…tzzz…the door…tzzz… key…tzzz…Ark destroyed…"_

It was Allen's voice. It was definitely Allen's voice. She doesn't understand how she recognized his voice, but she did. She somehow felt glad she could hear his voice, but that just means she's glad he's alive, right? No, she's not worried about him, it just means that if he's alive, the others are alive too, right? That means she was actually worried about everyone.

No, wait, she wasn't worried about Allen or Lavi or Kanda or anyone else for that matter. It was just Lenalee. Yes, it was Lenalee. Because Komui would kill her…

"Allen!" Desdemona said, frustration in her voice. She doesn't understand why she was frustrated. She tilted her head to the side.

"What are you doing…Miss Beast?" Kie asked, looking at the exorcist with a strange expression.

"It's a wireless communication device. I was told it could withstand the distortion of time and space within the Ark. Allen has one too." Desdemona explained.

"Does that mean we can contact them?" Miranda asked, her eyes lit up with hope but her voice was filled with concern.

"I'm not sure, I can hear Allen, but I don't think he can hear me." Desdemona tapped on her earring again.

"_Tzzz…We have only 3 hours…tzzz_."

"Allen!" Desdemona said, a little louder. The transmissions from the other end seemed to get a little clearer. Desdemona walked out from the tunnel and looked up to the white cube that was supposed to be the Ark.

"Allen!" She was almost screaming. This caught the attention of General Tiedoll and Marie, though they didn't say anything.

"_This is our only choice…we know Road's ability…_"

"ALLEN YOU STUPID IDIOT! ARE YOU DEAF?" Desdemona screamed at the top of her lungs. Her patience was running low.

"_What? Wait, everyone, I think I can hear something.._"

"YOU STUPID BASTARD ARE YOU SERIOUSLY DEAF?"

"_Dem! It's you! That's right! The communicator can withstand the Ark! How could I have not thought of that?_" Allen sounded surprised, but also seemed relieved and glad at the same time.

Desdemona coughed into her hand, a failed attempt at trying to cover up her temporary indignity. "Enough of that! The main question: is anyone dead yet."

"_No, thank you for your concern. Everyone's alive and well._" Allen's tone was slightly amused and yet sarcastic at the same time.

General Tiedoll turned to Marie. "He said everyone's fine." Marie told General Tiedoll. The General nodded while in deep thoughts of his own.

"Second question: Is Lenalee fine." Desdemona continued to interrogate the English exorcist with authority.

"_Lenalee? She asked are you fine._" The girl heard Allen ask. Desdemona put her face to her palm. Couldn't he just answer himself?

"_Dem! Don't worry! I'm fine!_" Came Lenalee's strained reply that was barely audible through the communicator.

"Allen. Anyway to get out?" Desdemona asked, remembering how the two of them got out by going through a door…

"_No. This place is getting destroyed. Our only hope is to get to the highest tower in 3 hours and escape through a door Road made._"

"Road? The Noah? Can you trust her?" Desdemona frowned.

"_No…but maybe…I don't know. That's our only chance._"

"I don't care what you do. As long as you get Lenalee out of there safe and sound I don't care!"

"_Yeah! I will get everyone out!_"

Desdemona grinded her teeth. Stupid, stubborn idealist. "No! Just focus on Lenalee alright? I don't care if you leave the others. As long as you bring Lenalee out that's all I would ask for."

Allen sweat-dropped on the other side. This girl is sure cold-hearted. He wondered why she was so concerned about Lenalee. But on second thought, it might not be so weird. Lenalee seemed to be the only one Dem is 'nice' to. And plus, he wouldn't know whether Komui had a certain amount of influence on this or not, judging by the way Komui was so eager to get her to Edo too…

"Yeah, I'll bring Lenalee out." Allen smiled. He looked at Lenalee, who raised her eyebrows at the mention of her name.

"What does she say?" Lavi asked.

"She said that as long as I bring Lenalee out of here, she doesn't care if I abandon you guys." Allen summarized.

Lavi bent over with laughter while Kanda replied with a che. Lenalee blushed in embarrassment while Chaoji and Crowley looked at the white-haired boy in confusion. Chaoji was bordering anger at the thought anyone would abandon their friends. Why are they laughing about this anyway?

"Oh dear! With Dem's own stubborn personality added to Komui's extreme sister complex, the duo can make a specialized 'Lenalee Team'!" Lavi slapped his hand on his knee as he was nearly suffocating from his own laughter.

Allen smiled, his assumptions seemed to be correct. At the mention of Komui…

"Dem?" Allen started, while signaling the others to follow him as he navigated through the Ark.

"_What?_"

"Do you remember what Komui said earlier? About thinking happy thoughts?"

"_I don't think about meaningless things like that._"

"Then think about it now. What are you going to do when you go back?"

Desdemona raised her eyebrows at the large cube in the sky. She said she doesn't think about these things, does this Englishman understand English? She thought about the question. What does she want to do…

"First of all, I will indulge myself in chocolate. If Komui tells me to eat proper food, I will refuse, definitely. Then, I want to get a consecutive 3 days of holidays."

"_Why?_"

"So I can go back to London."

"_London?_"

"Yeah, London. Then I'm going to request for either a room change or installing a sound-proof wall in my room."

"_Why?_"

"Because you are too noisy."

"Hey! I'm not noisy at all!" said Allen with a gentle smile, contradicting the angry tone he was using. Lenalee, walking beside the boy, watched Allen's curious expression.

"_In my standards, you are noisy._"

"Well, your standards are too high! You need to become more tolerant!" Allen smiled wider.

"_There is nothing wrong with my standards! You are the one at fault!_" Allen noticed that even though she was saying these words, she didn't sound angry at all, almost amused.

Allen stopped at a door. He looked at it and looked back at the rest of the group. They nodded in unison. "Dem…"

"_What?_"

"We're going to go through a door now. The Earring wouldn't be able to connect after that." Allen started.

"_Yes, I know. Just go already._" Allen listened while inserting the key Tyki gave him into the door.

The door suddenly transformed. Instead of the boring brown wood, it now had patterns and pictures of rainbows and butterflies on it. Nothing would surprise the boy now, this is inside the Ark, after all.

"Is everything alright out there?" Allen asked, pocketing the key to their survival.

"_Yes. Somewhat. Miranda still has your injuries in her Innocence. Get back quick or she'll pass out!_"

Allen smiled, Miranda… "Yeah…"

"_Make sure you come back!_"

"…" Allen stopped. The superiority-complex-ego-centered-tries-to-be-unpleasant girl said what?

As if realizing her out-of-character mistake, Desdemona quickly added, "_With Lenalee!_"

Allen laughed, somehow relieved. "Yeah! We're going in!" Allen opened the door, a gust of cold wind rushed towards him. He looked into the dark doorway and stepped in.

"_Tzzz…tzz…tz…tzzzzz…_" Desdemona listened to the static noise once again. They better be alright…Or else Komui is going to kill her.

She looked up and glanced at the General, asking Marie the content of her conversation. Marie said Allen said they were fine, they were about to go through a door, .

_**BANG!**_

All of a sudden, the ground a few metres away from the bridge exploded. The ground vibrated violently and a cloud of smoke and dust obscured their vision. General Tiedoll and Marie were blasted into the tunnel of the bridge, crashing into Miranda, Desdemona, Kie and Maosa.

The General recovered himself quickly and helped Miranda up. He looked out into the dust cloud and said gravely, "They are attacking."

* * *

Allen walked forwards, an unexpected scenery greeted them. They came out from what looked like a house. There were only a few other constructions around, a hotel-like structure with something that looked like a telephone box next to it. That must be the exit to this dimension, Allen concluded, as it was the only 'door' he could see. The rest of the landscape consisted of nothing but towering rocks. Rocks everywhere. Rocks that looked like it has been shaped by the wind, the sun and the rain. Rocks that have rugged edges, small bases and large tops.

Above the rocks was a peculiar sky. It was 'night' in this dimension, Allen guessed, because the sky is a dark blue. There were moons. Large, white moons of different sizes adorned the dark blue canvas. 2D pieces of irregular white stuck to the blue, like surreal clouds. A large, colourless arc, with horizontal lines running through it and dividing it into 7 equal strips covered over the clouds and the moon. It looked like a rainbow. Large diamonds scattered randomly across the sky. Stars, maybe.

Allen slowly proceeded forward towards the hotel on the other side of the rock plains. He turned, noticing the blue-haired Japanese was focused on something else.

"Kanda?" Allen started.

"Shh, be quiet." Kanda said before the bean sprout could say anything else, "He's here."

Allen looked in the direction Kanda was staring at. Indeed, a large, dark silhouette stood amongst the rocks, at the base of the rainbow. There stood the large Noah, Skin Boric.

"You guys go first." The Japanese drew his sword. "I'll take him on."

"WHAT?" replied the others in unison towards Kanda's announcement.

"He's the guy that's after our General. I've met him several times before."

"We can't leave you alone, Kanda!" Lenalee exclaimed.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not doing this for you guys. I told you, he's after our General." He ran two fingers down his blade, the weapon glowed green. "So I'm going to cut him to pieces to complete my mission."

The ground shook abruptly beneath the exorcists' feet, throwing them off balance. "Earthquake?" Allen said to himself.

"So this is still inside the ark!" Lavi exclaimed, hoping that they had already gotten out.

"Of course, Lero." The umbrella golem said, "This is just a room that hasn't completely been downloaded yet. As soon as it finishes, it will disappear, Lero!"

"I'm going to stay, Kanda!" Allen frowned. He's not going to leave Kanda behind, even though he _is_ Kanda. "Everybody else, please move on to the next door! We'll follow-"

"Being stuck with you? You're kidding me." Kanda cut Allen off short. Allen turned around, to be greeted by the tip of Mugen pointing at his face. Allen looked to Kanda and swallowed.

"I said I'll take him." The Japanese said in an icy tone. The rest froze from the terror. Demons appeared behind him as he drew back his sword, ready to slash. "Get lost, or shall I dice you up too?"

"I see a demon…" Lavi muttered.

"Mr. Kanda?" Chaoji breathed.

"You serious?" Allen said with disbelief.

_Kaichuu Ichigen!_ Kanda slashed his sword in the direction of the other exorcists. The underworld beasts lunged at them.

"STOP KANDA!" "OUCH THAT HURT!" "I'M DYING!" The attacked caused immense chaos amongst the exorcists, all thoughts to stay with Kanda and help him were also blasted away by the attack.

"IDIOT YUU KANDA!" Allen screamed, steam came from his ears and nostrils from extreme anger.

"DEMON!" exclaimed Crowley.

"YOU'RE GONNA KILL US!" accused Chaoji.

"WHO CARES? WE'LL JUST LEAVE HIM BEHIND." The other exorcists reached a common agreement. They turned their backs and started walking away. Kanda turned the other way, sighing. Lenalee followed the angry exorcists, she stopped and looked back.

"Kanda!" She called out, "You have to follow us afterwards, promise?"

"…"

Lenalee puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.

"…"

"ANSWER ME!"

Kanda flinched and reluctantly turned back, "Ok, ok. I got it. Hurry up and go!"

Lenalee turned and hurried after the others. Allen located the hotel and ran towards it, the others following him.

A loud crash, followed by the sound of metals clashing rang out in the air. The exorcists turned back. Kanda and the Noah were already engaging in battle.

"Kanda!" Allen called over the sound of the battle. "If you don't come afterwards I'll kick your ass!" When no reply came, Allen frowned but turned to the direction of the door. He pulled out the key and inserted it into the keyhole. The door opened with a click and Crowley, followed by Chaoji, then Lenalee and Lavi stepped in. Allen was last. He glanced one last time at the Japanese battling the Noah and stepped through the door.

* * *

_Chase peeked over his shoulder where his sister was cleaning the cage of the tiger that killed their mother. He sighed. She was like a robot, a heartless piece of machinery. Her arms just moved mechanically, scrubbing the floor of the cage with soap water. She seemed dead. Just a body without a consciousness._

_She had been like this ever since last week, when Bidelia…Bidelia…_

_Chase couldn't bear thinking about it._

_Bidelia was everything to them. Him and his sister. She was their only family. And now she's gone. They have nothing left._

_They planned to leave this place on Christmas. On Christmas was when the last show would end. When the last show ends they would go. Go somewhere far far away. But during the show…_

_Chase shook his head. He can't be thinking about these depressing things now. He can't waste more time imagining what it would be like if Bidelia was still here. He needs to take care of themselves now. Both of them. He's older so he needs to take care of Mony. They need to survive._

_A loud clanging sound came from the direction where Mony was scrubbing the cage. Chase turned quickly to check. The girl seemed to have hit her head against the overhead bars while trying to straighten up. Chase rushed over, checking if the girl was ok._

_Mony silently held a hand to her head where she hit her head. Chase knelt down next to her._

"_Are you all right?" The boy asked with concern._

_The girl nodded, her face void of any expression. Chase frowned. He pried away her hand from her head and felt around her scalp. It was a little swollen._

_It must have hurt. If she was still the her from before, she must have surely cried. But she wasn't crying. She didn't cry on that night either. Chase tried to keep her from seeing the sight, but she still saw. She was shocked silent and collapsed onto the floor. She never cried. Not even once._

_Chase would've rather she cried. It would've been better, much better. If she cried, she would've been over it sooner. It would've been easier for Chase too. She wasn't crying. If she wasn't crying, then Chase can't either. She's forcing him to stay strong. But it's hard. It's really hard._

"_Does it hurt?" Chase asked while pulling her out of the cage._

_The girl nodded again._

"_Hurry, we need to get ice on it." The older boy hurried to the exit, pulling the girl behind him by the hand. Just as they neared the exit, a large, dark figure appeared in the doorway._

"_Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Cosmo smirked down at the two smaller figures._

_Chase looked up at Cosmo's face and instinctively stepped back, placing himself between the large man and his little sister._

"_Sir, we were thinking maybe we could get some ice." Chase said, as politely as he could, hoping with all his might the man would not be angered or provoked._

"_Ice? Did you say ice?" Cosmo sneered, "Is that the only excuse you can think of after being caught slacking off from your work?"_

"_No, sir, it's-"_

"_No excuses! You brats! Go back your work! You still need to help with the dinner preparation this afternoon! Stupid Clown and Red Arm ran away straight after Christmas, now it's your job!"_

"_But-"_

"_No buts! You brats are no better than your filthy mother! It's better now that she's gone!"_

_Something about Cosmo's words triggered a great intensity of anger as well as an unknown emotion within Chase. He was just about to retaliate when something familiar happened again._

_He felt a bone-chilling air down his spine. He shivered. There's no way he could have mistaken it. He can feel her hand tensing. He can see Cosmo slowly retreating, as if terrified by something he was seeing. Chase slowly turned around. Even though he had expected what he would see, fear still engulfed him like an inevitable void of darkness._

_Her frighteningly golden eyes shone with anger. Anger accompanied by a murderous intent so intense that Chase can feel hands around his neck, choking him. Chase was paralyzed._

_"What did you just say about my mother?" Mony said coldly and slowly. Even her voice, if it could be measured like temperature, then it would have been able to freeze lava._

_Cosmo fell backwards and muttered, "I knew you weren't normal. Every since you were born you I knew you were evil. You demon! Get away from me!" The large man scurried out of the tent, running for his dear life. _

_Once Cosmo was gone, the golden color drained from the girl's eyes, along with it, the color in her face. Chase came out from his daze, just in time to catch a falling Mony._

_The girl lay unconscious in the boy's arms. Chase noticed the large amount of sweat appearing on her forehead and her irregular breathing. He touched a shaky hand to her forehead. It can possibly cook an egg. Still trying to get rid of the fear, Chase laughed, but it came out as a shaky, nervous laugh._

_Something shiny caught Chase's attention. He looked down and saw the golden necklace around the girl's neck that he hadn't noticed before. That necklace, he was pretty sure it was the one Bidelia always wore. Since when did Mony have it?_

_Another wave of that unknown emotion came over him. For a moment, he thought about something he should never think about._

_Why does Bidelia love Mony more than him? When he was at least a legitimate child, unlike his sister. Because Mony existed, Bidelia stopped loving him. Because she existed, they were stuck here. Cosmo was right, she's not normal. Those golden eyes weren't natural. There's something weird. It would be better if she didn't exist. _

_Better if she didn't exist…exist…_

_Chase shook his head. This is the exact way Bidelia didn't want him to think. Bidelia did say didn't she? It's not Mony's fault. It was Cosmo's fault._

_After all, he's her father._

* * *

Allen, Lavi, Lenalee and Chaoji climbed up an array of suspended wooden planks that hover in thin air, its shape suggested its function to be as stairs. The planks led the exorcists in loops, but they can do nothing but to follow it as there was nothing else in this section of the Ark, only darkness surround them.

Four pairs of shoes hitting the wooden planks were the only sounds audible within this realm.

Allen, walking at the front, held Lenalee by the hand. Her shaky legs carried her slowly up the stairs. They couldn't see the next door yet. Lavi and Chaoji walked behind, Lero floated above their heads.

"Are your legs getting painful, Lenalee?" Allen inquired.

"I'm fine, I can walk." Lenalee smiled. "But I can't exactly be high and mighty about it since you are pulling me along."

Allen smiled back, "No, no. I don't mind."

Lavi sniggered at the back. "If Komui finds out about this you'll be in real trouble. Isn't it good that Timcampy's gone off somewhere?"

Allen started laughing nervously. _I focused too much on Dem's order that I forgot about Komui's sister complex._

"Let me be at the front!" Lavi whined.

"No! It's obvious what your real intention is!" Allen refused. He doesn't want to be thrown into a 5 metre tall bookcase again, nor to be choked to unconsciousness by some certain piece of black leather.

Lenalee was absorbed into her own thoughts. They've already left behind both Crowley and Kanda. She was worried. She was scared. What if…

No, she must not think about that. She must believe in them. She must keep on trying…

"I have to keep trying." Lenalee suddenly said. Everyone turned to her in confusion.

Allen jumped in panic. He's going to get killed. "LENALEE! YOU ARE REALLY IN PAIN! I'LL PIGGY-BACK YOU!"

Lenalee waved her hand in denial, "No, it's not that! I was just thinking that I'll have to do some training when I get back!"

Lavi hugged himself as if he just saw something scary, "What sort of deep things are you thinking about, Lenalee? You have to sleep! You need to sleep on these kind of things. You must be tired!" Lavi seemed determined to get everyone to sleep.

Chaoji at the back realised that while the exorcists were having a heated discussion on things, they were already so close to the door.

"This is really sad Lenalee, you need to think more sexy thoughts or you'll never find a husband!"

Lenalee pounced on Lavi, choking him with all her strength. "IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS LAVI!"

"Hahaha, hahah!" The arguing exorcists turned back to see a laughing Chaoji, who forcefully stopped his own laughter when everyone looked at him. "It's sorry. Just seeing exorcists now...it's like you are just like us ordinary people…They always say you are apostles of God, I thought the way you guys think are way different to ordinary people. Things like jokes, laughter and fear? I didn't think you have something like that…"

Allen put a hand on Chaoji's shoulder and smiled gently at him. "Just one more…if we climb over what's waiting for us, beyond this," Allen said, referring to the door that was already close, "we can definitely get back home. When you feel uneasy, just think about the fun things, you'll feel better."

"KAAGH~! Don't be so carefree at a time like this, Lero!" Lero screeched. "You have some wishful thinking. Don't you understand that there's no hope yet, Lero!"

"It's not like that, Lero." Allen said, "The thing I want to do the most when I get home is to say 'I'm back' to Komui and the others. No matter how faint our hopes are, even if we don't have anything we can rely on," the exorcist turned and continued up the stairs, "I will never give up."

Lero, being the machine it is, was shocked silent for once. Lavi looked up at the boy climbing over the last one of the wooden planks. _You feelings are so strong you are almost dazzling. What are you carrying upon your shoulders, together with that clown innocence?_

_It's as if like the light, you are going to disappear…_

_*Tap_*

"A~LLENNNNNNN!"

Just as the exorcists stepped through the door, someone charged towards them and threw themselves at Allen.

The boy instantly recognised her. "Road!"

Without a warning, Road's lips touched Allen's.

* * *

Desdemona shivered. She just felt something really bad down her spine, but she doesn't know what. She suddenly felt really disgusted.

Those feelings were instantly taken out on the giant akuma that charged at her.

_Level 2, Speed type, activate_

_Level 3, Thunder rage, activate_

The black whip turned into the blade-whip and crackled with electricity. With an effortless jump, the girl was above the slow-moving giant akuma. She threw the blade upwards, the sections broke apart. Then she brought it down.

The sharp blade cut straight through the middle of the akuma's head, blue crackling electricity ran through its body. Desdemona landed in a tree, though much less graceful than she'd intended it to be. She really doesn't like taking off her heels…

Like a broken puppet, the akuma danced around angularly, its limbs bending into unnatural angles. Eventually, the akuma fell to the ground with a ground-shaking thud. Almost instantly, one of General Tiedoll's Innocence giants stepped on the fallen akuma's head while wrestling with another giant akuma, permanently destroying this piece of evil machinery.

Desdemona appeared next to the General controlling his giants from a distance. She tried her best to brush off all the leaves that may have found her attractive.

"Quite impressive." General Tiedoll commented, "Quite an achievement, bringing a giant akuma down by yourself. Klaud must have trained you well."

"Thank you." Desdemona replied as she took out one last leaf from her hair.

"Elemental Innocence were always the hardest Equipment type to control. Nature is not meant to be tamed by humans." General Tiedoll said in his deep-and-philosophical tone.

"I merely inherited a fraction of my mother's talents." Desdemona said, "Taming was her specialty."

"Then your mother must have been phenomenal." General Tiedoll smiled.

Desdemona touched her necklace subconsciously as she watched 5 white giants fighting against 8 black ones. _Bidelia…_

"Oh!" General Tiedoll suddenly reached over and took something out from Desdemona's hair. She blinked. The General pulled his hand away and waved a green leaf in front of Desdemona's face. She blinked a few more times before instinctively snatching the leaf away from the General's hand.

Realising what she just did, Desdemona flushed red, "I'll…I'll dispose of it. Thank you General Tiedoll." She then ran away, crunching the leaf in her tightly-held fist.

Tiedoll smiled while watching the girl run away. _Still a kid…_

* * *

Allen sat at the sickly formal dining table, dressed in royal red table cloth, placed with dishes of luxurious food and extremely ornate candle holders with lit candles burning slowly. Allen almost always lunges at food no matter the time or place, though the situation now was an exception.

Tyki Mikk sat at the other end of the long table, casually enjoying his food while his eyes scrutinized Allen's every move. All the while wearing a smile.

Allen also stared at the Noah from the other end of the table, only his gaze was filled with accusation and wary.

The two gazed at each other for many heartbeats. As time passed, each of their stares turned to glares as they narrowed their eyes.

"Not really. There are a lot of people that I've stripped down to their underwear." Allen finally spoke, his face devoid of any expression.

Tyki's aura changed within a split second. His eyes lost their intensity and was replaced by awkwardness. "Oh, what a thing to say..."

Allen continued to wear his unchanging and unreadable face, he held up his left hand, his Innocence. "Is it about this Innocence?"

Tyki smiled, "The truth is, I was pretty shocked. I'm sure that I broke it down."

"But you couldn't have broken it down, right? After all, it's right here." Allen replied.

"Have you gotten interested in the Innocence now, Tyki?" Road said casually while waltzing towards Allen and lovingly threw her arms around his neck.

"Just a little bit. So anyway boy, is it because of that left arm that you're alive, even though the Tease ate through your heart?" Tyki's voice was muffled through his hand that was placed in front of his mouth, though it was clear enough for Lenalee and Lavi to hear.

"Y-YOUR HEART?" Lavi exclaimed, slamming both his hands down onto the table, the plates of food rattled and the luxurious food jumped.

"HEY, I DIDN'T HEAR ABOUT THIS ALLEN! YOU HAD THAT KIND OF INJURY?" Lenalee screamed with her high pitched voice right at Allen's ear.

Allen started sweating nervously, that's the reason he tried to keep this from as many people as possible. That reminds him, he did tell Bak to not tell anyone but Komui and he did tell Bak to tell Komui not to tell anyone, then how did Dem know? And didn't Bak say something about Komui calling _him_ about Allen before Bak told Komui? What is happening? And that time when Dem fainted and lost all signs of life, didn't she say something about Lenalee? Now Allen could see she was right, but how did she know that? Intuition? Coincidence?

Allen shook his head, now is not the time to think about these stuff. Lenalee and Lavi were still screaming at him, he needs to answer them to stop them from screaming. Ah, his ears.

"A part of my Innocence became a part of my heart, there's no problem at all."

That seemed to calm Lenalee and Lavi down. Lavi became deep in thought and Lenalee looked downwards with a pout. That's why Allen didn't want to tell them, they'll worry too much.

But Dem wasn't bothersome like that. It was only for a period of time that she seemed strange and actually helped him at the Asia Branch, it's not like she's worried, right?

Allen shuddered. Dem? Worried? There's no such thing in the world, she vowed to kill him and may be happier if he really did die. Her, worried about him? That's something that would never happen in this world.

Allen shook his head again, he's been thinking a lot of about her lately, probably because they've been together for a while, ever since he woke up in Asia Branch.

Something black flashed in the corner of Allen's eye. A black butterfly appeared next to Lenalee's chair and flew to her neck.

Allen acted immediately, knowing full well what that harmless-looking butterfly can do. Using his long, talon-like, sharp nail, he pinned the Tease against the red, cushioned back of the seat. Using his other hand, he slammed the table, trying to make his point. He stood up slowly, his long, overgrown fringe hid his eyes in shadow, though the definite glow of murderous intent still shown through intensely.

"Tyki Mikk, I have something I want to say. If you lay a hand on my comrades any more than this, I may end up killing you."

Something snapped under the pressure of the tense atmosphere between the Noah and the Exorcist. Tyki smiled.

Allen lifted a leg and stepped on the table, pushing himself forward and charged at Tyki.

Tyki lifted a hand, "I don't hate you, boy, but..." A huge black Tease appeared from Tyki's palm, more and more black butterflies appeared.

Allen activated his Innocence and lashed out, it clashed against Tyki's large Tease and a metallic clang rung out through the large dome ceiling of the tower.

Tyki and Allen's face were inches away from each other, Tyki smiled casually while Allen glared at Tyki.

"Let's have the last dance, boy."

* * *

I finally got a chance to update! It's the end of the year and I have finished all my school work! Next year is going to be busier TAT. I'll rite as much as I could in the holidays. BTW, I also editd huge amounts of stuff in the previous chapters. I think I'll keep editing. This story is dragging on a little too much and I need to shrink it. I should delete some things that can be seen in the manga and not put too much detail into it. Maybe I could even add more plot into this if that's the case.

Review!

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	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

Some changes have been made, one of which consists of my habitual massive edits. So here you go, Chapter 16 again! XD Some of you may not be able to review this chapter if you have reviewed on the old chapter 16. If that's the case, please PM me or review on another chapter. :3 Thank you!

To older readers who have been following since the beginning, thank you! I have made many changes to the previous chapters so if you can be bothered, I highly recommend you to go back to the beginning and read again. It's going to help. :D

Also, SCA has been removed to have some major work done on it. I promise it will come back and it will come back even better. :D Please look forward to it!

Well, that's enough from me for now, enjoy the story! And see you at the end. XP

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)**

* * *

The red haired exorcist landed on the black and white tiled floor. Floating pumpkin-shaped lights illuminated the small area. Lavi spotted the black and white chequered double doors rimmed with a gold, ornate frame and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness it's still here..."

He walked back to the hole in the ground and looked down. Staring up at him expectantly was Lenalee, Allen and Chaoji.

"It's still here!" He announced gladly. Lavi extended his hammer down to the others on the floor below him. "All three of you, grab onto the handle and I'm going to pull it up!"

The three did as Lavi said.

"Lerrooooo~~! Master Earl, please save us, Lero!"

Allen looked over at the Earl's umbrella golem Lero, jumping around, crying. Tyki was unconscious against the wall, a ring of white crosses were around his chest as a result of Allen's attack.

The exorcist stared at Tyki's face. Right now, he's just a human...

Lavi shrank his hammer and pulled the three of them up to the next floor. "Hurry! We don't know when this door's going to disappear!" Lavi urged, helping Lenalee and Chaoji to their feet.

Allen hesitated before activating his Innocence, the white cowl wrapped around him as he walked back to the edge.

"Allen! What are you doing?" Lavi asked with a frown.

"I'm going to get Tyki Mikk and Lero!"

Before Allen could go any further, Lavi grabbed onto his left arm, "Are you serious?" Lavi frowned even deeper.

"Tyki Mikk is just a normal human now, he is no longer a Noah."

"Rescue?" Lavi and Allen turned back to the voice. Chaoji stood next to Lenalee, his eyes shone of rage. "You mean you didn't kill that man?"

"He's still alive." Allen looked down.

"What? Even though he is with the akuma who killed Anita and Mahoja, along with many other of my comrades? How come...? How come you are going to rescue him? I don't believe this! YOU ARE GOING TO BETRAY US? If you're going to rescue him, that makes you my enemy!"

"Chaoji!" Lenalee tried.

"You are my enemy...YOU ARE AN AKUMA, JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM!"

_Crack_

Allen widened his eyes, the ground beneath Chaoji just cracked. Without a second thought, Allen lunged at Chaoji, pushing him out of the way.

Chaoji landed on his back. Looking back at where he was just a second ago, a wall of dark flame engulfed Allen and the door.

"ALLEN!" Lenalee screamed.

_Creak_

Black mechanical tentacles appeared from the crack in the floor. They wrapped around Allen, immobilising him and destroyed the door. In the blink of an eye, Allen and the door were both pulled down into the large crevice in the ground. Along with them, the wall of flame disappeared.

"ALLEN!" Lavi rushed over. The redhead looked into the large crevice in the ground, but all he could see was darkness.

~x.X.x~

_Bang!_

_Tzzz….._

Desdemona shook her head. Did she just hear something?

She tapped on her wireless transmitter and looked up to the Ark.

Nothing. Nothing was heard. Maybe she was just hallucinating.

She sighed. Only hoping Allen would bring Lenalee out as soon as possible. Komui is quite scary when his extreme sister complex kicks in…

She jumped away just as a giant akuma attacked.

~x.X.x~

_Bang!_

Allen landed on the hard concrete ground, amongst a large amount of debris. He coughed, trying to clear the dust and blood from his throat. He gritted his teeth. The door. The remnants of the door lay in front of him, half-buried in the dust that fell from the floor above.

The exorcist lowered his head in despair. What to do now? The Ark is going to disappear and they are going to disappear with it. Kanda, Crowley, Chaoji, Lavi and Lenalee. They won't be able to escape.

Dem… He promised her he'd protect Lenalee and get out safetly…

"Hmph." He sniggered at himself. What is he thinking? If he disappears he's not going to see her anymore, right? He won't have to face her wrath, right? But why does that thought scare him so much? He doesn't understand himself. Why?

"_Make sure you come back…"_

That's what she said…

With Lenalee! She said with Lenalee! What exactly _is_ he thinking?

The white-haired exorcist pulled himself up from the cold concrete.

_Tzzz…_

Allen looked up and widened his eyes in shock. "You are…"

Standing in front of him, was Tyki Mikk. Surrounding him was the same metallic tentacles that pulled Allen down from above, growing out from Tyki's back. His skin was dark and at his throat, a large black cross was etched into his skin. His eyes were hidden in shadows by his hair.

Allen frowned. Tyki's Noah was supposed to be destroyed, what is going on?

The Noah walked slowly towards the exorcist. Allen pulled himself up into a kneeling position. _I have a bad feeling about this…_

Touching his right hand to his left arm, he started glowing green. The white cowl appeared on his shoulders and his left hand turned into the long hilt of his sword. Allen grabbed it and pulled out his Innocence.

Tyki slowly looked up, exposing his face. His eyes were blank. There were black patterns crawling across his skin slowly. They came down from his forehead and crawled down towards his neck.

His even footsteps stopped when he was only about 3 metres from the kneeling exorcist. Allen froze in shock.

Tyki was bleeding and the blood trailed down from his arm, falling at his fingertips and onto the floor. At such close proximity, Allen could finally see it clearly.

Tyki's blood was black, his blood was black.

Is he still human?

Tyki suddenly screamed in agony. The tentacles moved aggressively and circled Tyki, some wrapped around his body and most orbited around him, creating a thick film of black. The orbiting tentacles soon formed a black hurricane, expanding at such a great speed that it soon engulfed the entire top floor of the tower.

As the blackness cleared, standing at its centre was Tyki. His hair long and rugged, coming out from a helmet that covered the upper half of his face. He wore something of that resembles both an armour and a robe and stood there, looking at his hands.

A shadow loomed above the Noah and he looked up. Allen held his sword above his head and brought it down as he fell. With gravity on his side and Tyki standing there, unmoving, he was sure to hit the Noah.

The exorcist landed, the impact of the sword with the floor caused a large crack that sped across the weak concrete. However, Tyki was nowhere to be seen. _Where is he?_

Allen felt something slice through his left shoulder. He saw blood spraying out from his left side but not fast enough to react. Almost immediately, Tyki appeared behind him and landed a heavy blow straight to Allen's back.

Allen turned and blocked two more attacks from Tyki with his sword. The exorcist tightened his jaws as the force of the attacks grew greater and eventually, he gave out.

Allen gasped as he crashed into the wall, knocking the air out of his lungs. Unable to move himself, Allen fell towards the ground.

Tyki charged at the completely defenceless Allen, who was struggling to stay conscious. The Noah drew back his fist, ready to land a critical blow on the boy.

A flash of light whizzed past the Noah just as he was about to approach Allen. The Noah stopped in his tracks, scarcely avoided being hit.

Lavi skidded to a stop behind Tyki. In his arms, Allen laid limply. The redhead smirked at the Noah, barely recognising him. "Tyki Mikk? What sort of joke is that outfit?"

Allen coughed, blood came from his throat and trailed down the corner of his mouth. "Lavi…"

"Allen! Get a hold of yourself!" Lavi lifted Allen up to an upright position.

"The door…"

Lavi looked over Allen, only to see the destroyed remnants of the door half buried in the dust.

"We can't…escape the Ark anymore…" Allen said while having much difficulty breathing. Lavi looked back down at Allen, he was blaming himself.

"Hmph. Kukukuku. Ahaha. HAHA! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

The exorcists looked over at Tyki, staring at his hands as if admiring his own powers and laughing hysterically. He turned to face the exorcists, still laughing, and charged.

Lavi held his hammer in front of him, hoping to counter the Noah's attack. However, when he neared, Lavi froze. The aura Tyki's emitting was not normal.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to withstand his attack, Lavi stuck his hammer into the ground and commanded it to extend. With Allen on his shoulder, Lavi rode the hammer towards the upper floor. He looked down at Tyki, who stood below looking up at them.

The exorcists soon rose past the newly formed crevice and landed on the tiled floor.

"Lavi!" Lenalee rushed over to the two male exorcists.

Lavi frowned in dismay. _There's nowhere outside the tower to run anymore, damn it!_

"You two, hold on to me!" Lavi commanded, only to be greeted by Lenalee and Choaji's horrified face, staring at something behind him. Lavi turned around and there stood Tyki. He was smiling, all his inhumanly sharp teeth were exposed.

Lavi acted immediately, attacking Tyki with his Innocence. At the same time, Tyki's metallic tentacles charged. Small cracks crawled over Lavi's hammer as the two forces collided. Lavi flinched as he felt Tyki's strength. It's inhuman.

"Fire Seal!" Lavi tried. However, before the seal even took effect, a sharp pain shot up from his abdomen and Tyki disappeared. The redhead collapsed on the floor, blood poured out from his wound and trickled through his fingers.

"AAHHHH!" Allen charged with all his might at the Noah and brought his sword down with all his might, only to have it blocked by Tyki with one hand, seemingly with ease. With that same hand, the Noah used Reject, sending Allen crashing into a wall.

_He's too strong... He's not at a level where we can just try our best and hope to defeat…_

Tyki's tentacles charged at alarming speed and engulfed the exorcists. Only to be stopped by the pillars of the floor below giving out.

Allen and Lavi fell unconscious into the water outside the tower amongst concrete debris. Above them, Tyki stood on the remaining concrete of the top floor, holding Lenalee by the throat with his tentacles. Chaoji spotted the girl and struggled to crawl towards them, but it was futile. He was too weak.

Lenalee gazed at Tyki's helmet where his eyes should be while struggling to free herself of the metallic tentacles. _We can't die here…without protecting…a single thing…_

"Lenalee!" Chaoji screamed.

Tyki smiled, once again exposing his sharp teeth. The tentacles around Lenalee's neck tightened.

Chaoji stared helplessly at Tyki and Lenalee. There's nothing he could do...

"_Live and survive, use your life to protect those exorcists…_" Anita...it was Anita's words...

Not knowing where the courage and strength came from, Chaoji jumped to his feet and charged at the Noah, intending to punch him.

However, the ground beneath him gave out. Chaoji stumbled and fell.

Tyki looked down at the crumbling floor. Lenalee took the chance to summon all her strength and landed a kick in the side of Tyki's neck. It was ineffective, the small bit of human strength was not enough to affect this monster.

Tyki stared at Lenalee for a while before lifting her above his head and smashing her into the falling bit of concrete at his feet. Lenalee gasped and fell unconscious.

Choaji spotted the girl through the much debris. He extended a hand and tried to grab onto the girl. His vision blurred by the tears accumulating in his eyes.

"_We will be with you…"_

"ANITA SAMA!"

The entire tower collapsed onto the only remaining bit of ground of the Ark. Many pieces of debris flew off the tiny area and disappeared. More and more concrete fell down into the water beneath, piling up like a mountain.

~x.X.x~

Chaoji bit his teeth together. "GRRRR!"

Using that same unknown strength, Chaoji lifted up the tons of debris above him. His arms hurt, his legs hurt, but he can't let go.

Lenalee opened her eyes and blinked. Chaoji was holding up a huge piece of concrete. She was sitting beneath it, and so were Allen and Lavi, lying beneath it with the concrete inches from their face.

Lenalee tried to move. She needs to help move Allen and Lavi out from beneath. She tried, but can't. She looked down. Though detached from Tyki's body, the metal tentacles were still wrapped tightly around her body.

Chaoji continued to hold up the concrete while Lenalee looked helplessly at him. She can't do anything.

"Mi-miss Lenalee…What's happening to me?" Chaoji managed.

"You're synchronising with an Innocence somewhere around here! But if you go on any longer…" Lenalee trailed off. _It's the same as Miranda, there's a huge strain on the body. _"Your weapon's transforming but the power is uncontrolled! The raw Innocence is too powerful for its user! If you keep it activated like this, you will destroy your own body!"

Chaoji kept trying, veins rose out against his skin. "But what should I do? There's no where left to run to!"

Tyki descended from the air and came near Chaoji. His hands shining, preparing for another attack. The Noah charged. Lenalee and Chaoji could clearly see him but both could do nothing to stop it. They watched in despair as Tyki neared.

Unexpectedly, a sword and a hammer shot out from beside Chaoji at the Noah, blocking the attack.

Tyki retreated back, the impact of the collision destroyed the concrete and Chaoji collapsed next to Lenalee, both unharmed.

Lavi and Allen stood before Tyki, both panting heavily from the exhaustion and the blood loss from their wounds.

Tyki kept on smiling and charged. The two exorcists did the same. The two sides encountered in a thick cloud of smoke. However, the difference in power was too great, Lavi and Allen flew out almost as soon as they went in. They both crashed into more debris. Lenalee stared after the two worriedly, hating herself for being so useless.

Chaoji noticed a black shadow behind the girl. "Lenalee!"

Tyki appeared behind Lenalee. Chaoji was ready to shield Lenalee but Tyki stopped.

Wrapped around his wrist, was Allen's clown belt. The Noah glared over at the exorcist.

Allen stood up shakily, "Your opponent is me. I'm sure I told you already." Allen proceeded to wipe the blood away from the corner of his mouth and smiled weakly at the Noah. "Didn't you want to kill me?"

Excited by the challenge, Tyki smiled even wider. With a flash of black, the Noah disappeared from behind Lenalee and charged at Allen.

The boy glowed white against Tyki's black. He stood shakily, ready to take the Noah on. "Come on…Even if I don't make it out alive…I will keep fighting until the end." He positioned himself, Tyki was only metres away, "JUST LIKE I PROMISED MANA!"

Allen braced his Innocence and knelt down slightly, preparing for the incoming attack. He tightened his jaws and his grip on the sword.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Allen started shining brightly. He looked down and froze at the familiar symbol…

The light was so intense that it swallowed Tyki. Soon after, Tyki was thrown out from the light by an unknown force.

The ground beneath Allen's feet disappeared and he fell into the darkness. "AAHHH!" He shut his eyes tight, waiting for the impact. However, what he expected did not come. Instead, he felt something grab into his left ankle, his entire weight being held up by his left leg and blood rushing to his head. He hung there, upside-down.

"What is this filthy little brat?"

Allen looked up (down?) at the person who just spoke. It was a skull, the ones with the Millennium Earl. However, it was strange. The skull was standing on top of the familiar casket. On its head, sat Timcampy. The way it spoke was so arrogantly familiar.

"I thought he looked all right for a moment there, but…No. He's just filthy. He hasn't changed since the day I found him, my idiot apprentice."

Allen hung there, scrutinising the casket carefully. _This anti-akuma weapon! Grave of Maria…which means… _Allen suddenly felt really bad for some reason. "Er…It's been a while…"

The skull's face disintegrated. "What's with that stupid happy-looking face of yours?" As the mask disappeared, Cross Marian's face was revealed. "You want me to drop you?"

Acting upon his words, the General released Allen's ankle. Only Allen did not fall further down the hole, instead, he landed on secure ground next to the General's feet.

Allen stared up at the tall man. "M-master…Tim…you too."

After tidying his hair, the General glanced at the boy and his sword. "Looks like you finally got your Innocence in a decent form. But still, you're all beaten up. Here" The General offered a hand.

Allen was shocked, or rather scared. Knowing the General's hand is meant for something more menacing that helping him up. However, worse thing would happen to him if he did nothing. He took the General's hand, "Y-yes. I'm sorr-"

Instead of grabbing onto Allen's hand, the General grabbed the boy's collar and threw him into the air. After flying for a while in shock, Allen landed head first into the ground next to Chaoji and Lenalee.

Lenalee watched as Allen approached from the sky and dodged just in time.

"You filthy, idiot apprentice!" Cross said in disgust. He spotted Lavi on the side. "You're filthy too, get the hell away from me! I'll only let beautiful people near me. Filthy people (except women) can stay the hell back!" Picking up the casket and carrying it, the General looked over at Tyki.

"On abata ura." The black casket opened. A woman wearing a black dress came out. Her face was covered in bandages and in front of her eyes was something that looked like a butterfly. The woman started singing.

The exorcists listened. "What is this? A hymn?" Lavi asked.

"It's Magdala Curtain." Allen answered. Within seconds, a thin film surrounded the four exorcists.

"What?" Lavi scratched his head.

Tyki watched as the four exorcists disappeared from sight. He turned and looked everywhere, but they were nowhere to be seen.

"I've had the brats take their leave." Cross said calmly. Tyki turned to the General and snarled. "You won't have a problem with that, right?"

Lavi, Allen, Lenalee and Chaoji watched as Tyki charged at Cross.

"Can't Tyki see us anymore?" Lavi asked.

"Magdala Curtain is a defensive technique that uses the power of Master's Anti-Akuma weapon to affect to enemy's mind and obscure his vision with illusions." Allen explained in more detail.

"Then, is that doll an anti-akuma weapon?" Lenalee asked.

Allen hesitated before answering, "That isn't a doll, it's a human corpse. Master uses magic to make that corpse, a woman with Parasitic type Innocence, his own. Maria takes orders from Master alone. And then…"

Allen paused, allowing time for the others to turn to look at the General, who held in his hand an especially ornate gun, aiming at the Noah.

"There's the Equipment-type anti-akuma weapon that belongs to Master himself – Judgement." Allen finished.

The General fired.

The bullets flew at Tyki. The Noah was taken by surprise and quickly used reject stop the bullets. However, the bullets went through and hit the Noah straight in the chest.

Tyki flew backwards, his armour incinerated to ash. The Noah stood back up, only to have three more bullets fly at him. Using reject again, he tried to stop the bullets. Slowly, he watched as the bullets penetrated his invisible shield. As a last resort, Tyki swung his arm to the side, diverting the bullet's tracks.

The General simply smiled. "Was it really wisest to divert the bullets? I wonder…"

The bullets flew into the debris behind the Noah, only to re-emerged and fly back at Tyki.

"My bullets can't be stopped until it has entered its target."

The bullets penetrated Tyki again and again, giving the Noah no time to recover.

The younger exorcists watched in awe.

Desperately wanting to do something because of his intolerance to not doing anything, Allen activated his Innocence, ready to pull out his sword.

"Wait." Lavi stopped the white-haired boy. "Don't get involved. If you think about the difference in power, whether it's Noah or the General, we still have a long way to go. We are weak."

Allen looked down. Lavi is right. The General did warn them about not being a burden before...

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, the debris behind them fell apart and disappeared.

Allen grabbed a hold of Lenalee. "Master!"

The General looked over. "Is it time? We won't make it unless we hurry." He aimed judgement at Tyki, laying motionless on the ground, ready to give a final blow when the ground before the General exploded. He jumped just in time to dodge flying debris. He aimed the gun again, ready to attack Tyki. Though when the dust cleared and he could see clearly, the General saw the familiar fat tummy and the black sword. The Millennium Earl looked down at the General with that permanent smile of his.

Grabbing onto Lenalee, Allen stood up. When he looked back, the ground on which Lavi and Chaoji were kneeling had fallen down. The white-haired exorcist spotted the falling redhead and the Chinese. Lavi grabbed onto Chaoji and extended his hammer at Allen.

Allen grabbed onto the hammer. Not seeing the small cracks that were all over the Innocence, the hammer crumbled in his hand. Allen watched in shock as an equally shocked Lavi fell, along with more than half of what was left of the Ark. There was nothing he could do...only to watch. _Chaoji…Lavi… _He opened his fist, where little pieces of Lavi's Innocence lay.

A mixture of emotions clouded Allen's mind. Guilt, hatred, grief, anger. He roared in pain. Then gradually, one single emotion overpowered the rest. Hatred.

General Cross and the Millennium stood there chatting…appearing to be quite sickly friendly.

"Go away? My, my! You're the one trespassing on my Ark!" The Earl said.

"You threw it out anyway." Cross shrugged.

"This Ark no longer has the 'wings' to leave Edo…that power was stolen from it."

"The Fourteenth…"

The Millennium Earl glared at Cross. "That man passed his role on. The 'Musician'."

"Musician?" Lenalee repeated, listening to the conversation.

Allen spotted the Millennium Earl, his hatred amplified.

"Why did you come here?" The Earl asked. "If you wanted to steal this Ark, then you're a little late! I'm afraid the heart of this Ark has already been transferred to the new model. Without the heart, the Ark becomes inoperable and even the 'Musician' is powerless to control it! How foolish of you, Cross! In the end, this Ark will be nothing more than a grave, sucking up the blood of Exorcists…"

Allen snapped. What the Earl said about his comrades… He activated his Innocence again.

Lenalee looked at Allen. His cowl was disintegrating, just like the time when she over-activated Dark Boots. His eyes were frightening, filled with hatred. More blood dripped to the floor as Allen reopened many of his unhealed wounds.

Lenalee tried to stop him. "No! You can't! Your wounds!"

Allen was deaf to everything Lenalee said and charged towards the Earl in a flash of white.

"Lavi…" Pulling out his sword, he swung at the Earl. "Chaoji…"

The Earl felt something behind him and look back to see the exorcist.

The two clashed and the impact destroyed the ground the Earl was standing on. Blocking Allen's white sword, was the Earl's black sword. The two swords were identical in shape and size, only differing in colour.

Blood from Allen's wounds dripped over the Earl. The Ear kept smiling as he stared into the exorcist's eyes, "Hatred, it's there in your eyes…So we meet, Allen Walker."

Allen frowned and broke away from the Earl, only to charge at him again, following the Earl, falling with the debris.

"ALLEN!" Lenalee screamed, not wanting to see Allen disappear too.

Maria sang, Allen's body suddenly moved on its own. Even though he wanted to chase after the Earl, his sword dug into the wall beside him, stopping his fall. He looked up, the General was glancing down at him from the edge above.

"Stop it. Has the blood gone to your head from losing your comrades, idiot apprentice?"

"Release me from Maria's power, please Master! The Earl, I must-"

"You're climbing up here whether you want to or not."

~x.X.x~

General Tiedoll took down two more giant akumas. They don't seem to decrease in amount at all.

Marie froze on the side. "I can hear a new noise from the sky!"

The exorcists looked up, Desdemona frowned. A new ring of white rectangles appeared in the sky, on the opposite side as the white Ark. Inside the ring, a black Ark appeared.

"What?" General Tiedoll watched in shock.

"An Ark?" Bookman said out loud.

In a moment of distraction, a giant akuma send two cannon balls at Bookman. Bookman flew backwards and crashed into the tunnel of the bridge. Miranda rushed over and healed the Bookman's injuries with Time Record.

"A black Ark?" Desdemona breathed.

"Over there!" Someone said. Looking in the direction of the voice, the exorcists saw the white Ark disintegrating into small cubes. It was collapsing and was being swallowed by the sky.

Miranda looked up with fear, "Aren't Kanda and the others inside there?"

"It's falling to pieces!" Marie panicked.

"No way! Chaoji's in there too!" Kie distressed.

Marie and General Tiedoll instantly thought of Kanda. Even though he never had anything good to say, not having him around is just unimaginable.

Bookman stared at the Ark. _Lavi…_ That brat.

Kie and Maosa worried about Chaoji. They've been comrades ever since they could remember. They have just lost so many of their comrades and they really fear to lose Chaoji too.

Miranda worried for Lenalee and Allen and Crowley. She hoped they would be alright. Their injuries were still in her Innocence.

Desdemona feared too. Though she didn't know who she feared for. Or rather, she knew exactly who she feared for, only not admitting it. She suggested to herself that maybe she feared for all of them, but dismissed the idea as soon as it came. As if she's going to feel worried about the likes of Kanda and Lavi, as if. In the end, she decided she will fear for Lenalee.

The exorcists and the Chinese men stared up at the Ark, really hoping what they were seeing were just illusions.

~x.X.x~

"A mission?" Allen asked the General. He was on his knees, weak from his injuries. Lenalee was next to him.

"I'm sure you already know why I came here." Cross answered.

"To destroy the Akuma Plant!" Allen finally understood.

"Is the plant inside the Ark?" Lenalee questioned.

"That room is still in here. Take us to the plant, Tim!"

Timcampy opened its mouth, a blinding ray of light appeared and engulfed the exorcists. When the light disappeared, they were standing in a room full of corpses.

"Aren't these corpses?" Allen exclaimed.

"These are the 'Guards' of the Plant." Cross explained.

Allen turned and saw a suspended egg. At its top, it was decomposing into hexagons and was disappearing slowly.

"That huge egg is a Plant for generating the bodies in the Earl's akuma-creating rituals. I'd like to destroy it, but it's surrounded by a barrier and we don't have time to remove it. This is the last room in the Ark to be downloaded. Once that egg is completely transferred, the Ark will be gone, and us along with it."

"What do we do, Master?" Allen asked, understanding the situation...maybe.

"We have to stop it, of course."

"Huh?"

"All we need to do is steal the Egg. If we start up this Ark and stop the download, the Egg will never make it to the new Ark."

"How do we stop the Ark? We know nothing about it!" Allen said.

"General, do you know something? About how to control the Ark?" Lenalee asked, knowing Cross was not the kind of person to be inside the Ark if he does not know how to get out alive.

Cross narrowed his eyes at Allen. "I'm not going to do it. You are, Allen."

Allen frowned in confusion and shock. What can he do? He doesn't even know anything.

Half of the Egg has already been downloaded.

"On abata ura. Matara kato baru!" Cross chanted and the download seemed to slow down. "I'm using my abilities to interfere with the download. It's not much, but it will delay the transfer a little. Now, make this ark move, Allen! Hurry!"

Allen shook his head in dismay. "What? Wait a minute, I have no idea what you're talking about, Master!"

Cross ignored Allen. "I'll open the final room. Just go with Tim!"

"Why do I-!" Allen got cut off as he was teleported by Timcampy.

* * *

When Allen opened his eyes again, he was laying on a couch. He sat up. He was in a white room. There was a large window from the floor to the ceiling behind him. The ceiling was very high. In front of him, was an upright piano. There were also two chairs in the room.

The white-haired boy got up from the couch. "Master? Lenalee?" He tried, hoping to get a reply.

_Even the Millennium Earl does not know of this place. _

Allen thought he heard a voice, followed by a shadow seen at the corner of his eye.

_It is the secret room of the "Fourteenth"._

Allen turned to the panels of glass beside him. In what seemed to be the reflection of the room, the person staring back at Allen was not himself. Instead, a black silhouette of a man wearing a white coat smiled at him.

"You're..." Allen breathed. _The one I saw in that dream, when Lenalee was crying..._

The man pointed to the piano in the reflection. _Key..._

Allen looked to the upright piano in the room. Timcampy flew over and sat on the music stand.

_My Timcampy...Allen... These two have the power of the Musician..._

"Musician...what's that about?" Allen looked back at the silhouette, "Timcampy belongs to Master, he's not yours. Who the hell are you?" He frowned.

"_IDIOT APPRENTICE!_" Allen fell to the ground in pain as he clutched his ear. General Cross was screaming into the transmitter, nearly doing permanent damage to Allen's ear. "_HURRY UP AND STOP THE DOWNLOAD, YOU IDIOT! DID YOU GET TO THE "ROOM" OR WHAT?_"

"_Allen! Are you ok?_" Lenalee's voice was heard too.

Allen sat up. "Lenalee? I'm alright...and aren't your voices coming from the same place...? MASTER! PLEASE STOP TOUCHING LENALEE!"

"_How much floor space do you think we're working with here?_" Cross retaliated, though secretly thankful of it too.

"_This isn't the time to be worrying about me! Allen!_" Lenalee said.

"_Is there a piano in there?" _Cross asked.

"Yes, there is but..."

"_The piano is the 'Heart' that controls the Ark."_ Cross explained. "_Play it!"_

Allen stared at the piano and froze. "Um...I've never touched a piano in my whole life..."

"_Tim has the music score you'll need._" Cross continued, completely ignoring Allen.

"WAIT A MINUTE! I have no idea how to read sheet music either!" Allen was angry, how could Master just throw him in like this.

"_Would you rather pay more debt for me?_" Cross asked with a hint of evilness in his voice.

"You want me to choose? They are both ridiculous!"

"_If you do that ...tzzz...tzzzz...the ark should tzzz...According to your will..."_

Allen held a hand to his left ear, trying to hear what Cross what saying. However, the static noise was too loud, he couldn't hear properly.

"_Allen" must play..._ The shadow in the window said.

Becoming increasingly frustrated and angered, Allen frowned, "Why does it have to be me?"

_The score..._ Allen looked back at the piano as he heard something. Timcampy opened its mouth and projected something. Allen froze as he recognised the familiar symbols. _Belongs to Allen._

"That's the...music score?" Allen breathed, not believing what he was seeing.

~x.X.x~

"The noise is...disappearing!" Marie said.

Having finished the last of the giant akumas, the exorcists looked up to the sky where the white Ark was. It was disintegrating, now nothing more than a few rays of white light against the black sky. The light was slowly disappearing, being sucked into the sky.

"It's disappearing...ARGH!" Maosa scratched his head in frustration. There's nothing he could do to stop it.

Miranda pleaded her Innocence to stop the time of the Ark, but it didn't work.

Desdemona just stared. Stared as the last bit of light disappeared and continued to stare at the now completely dark sky.

Miranda collapsed onto the floor, two streams of the tears rolled down her cheeks. Just as the rays of light disappeared, their hopes disappeared along with it. Being slowly consumed by the darkness…just as they were consumed by the despair in their hearts.

"Marie..." General Tiedoll said quietly.

"I can't..." Marie replied, "hear anything anymore. Kanda...We just lost Deesha and now you too..." The blind man lowered his head and cried silently.

One by one, the people around Desdemona gave out. Not only did their physical form collapse from the stress of the battle, but their emotional state collapsed at the loss of people dear to them. Bookman lowered his head, probably thinking about Junior...The two Chinese men cried as they grieved the loss of their comrade.

Desdemona continued to stand there staring at the sky. She...didn't know what to do. What was she supposed to feel? She doesn't even feel anything. This was how it felt like the week after Bidelia...

Desdemona doesn't want to remember that time. She really hoped it would disappear from her memory. She instinctively touched her pendant, at which point she noticed it was vibrating weakly. She didn't try to understand why. Even though she felt like she could feel anything or think of anything for that matter, there's always this sense that nothing else could fit into her attention span because her mind was too focused on something else. She frowned, what should she do?

Suddenly, she felt rage. The strong surge of emotion took over her. She didn't understand why, or how, but there was only one thought that occurred to her.

_If Allen doesn't come back, I'll torture him to the brink of death and then kill him in the most painful way possible._

* * *

Allen's fingers glided along the black and white keys, playing the melody that ran through his head as he recited the lyrics coded within the symbols Timcampy projected. He didn't understand, his hands are moving on their own. He knew the melody, and the symbols…

_So the little infant fell into a deep sleep._

_Among the grey ashes in the flames shining...First one, then two..._

_Surfaces numerous of your faces_

Outside, the tower reconstructed itself. Fallen pieces of ground reappeared from the void beneath with a glow of white and connected themselves to the centre tower. The Ark came back, bit by bit.

_A thousand dreams trickle back to the earth_

_On the night when the silver eyes were trembling, the shining you was born_

_Across millions of years and months, no matter how many prayers are returned to the Earth…_

"I will still continue to pray…" Allen said out loud. The song in his head…someone's singing in his head.

"_Operate the Ark, Allen! Weave your wishes into the music!_" Cross was heard again through the transmitter, the signal was back again.

"My wish?" Allen repeated.

_Wish_… The shadow too, repeated.

"I wish…the download…the Ark…" Allen suddenly didn't know what to wish for. He had so many wishes, to stop the download, to restore the Ark, to get his comrades back, to get out of the Ark…So many, yet he suddenly didn't know.

_Think about the happy things._

Komui's words suddenly came across his mind.

_First, I'll say "Welcome back" and give everyone a pat on the shoulder…then I'll give Lenalee a big hug! I'll have to get a lot of food for you too. Then, I'll try to force Dem to eat something proper. But…if she really doesn't want to, I'll tell her in a serious tone 'Only this once, I'll let you off.'_

Dem…the girl suddenly intruded into his thoughts. She said something too, didn't she?

_First of all, I will indulge myself in chocolate. If Komui tells me to eat proper food, I will refuse, definitely._

Allen smiled to himself, she is sure stubborn.

_Then I'm going to request for either a room change or installing a sound-proof wall in my room… Because you are too noisy… In my standards, you are noisy… There is nothing wrong with my standards!_

"Bring back my comrades and don't disappear, ARK!"

~x.X.x~

Cross sat down on the ground, exhausted. Lenalee knelt beside the General, breathing a sigh of relief as she watched the Egg restore itself. She heard the song, it must have been Allen.

"Idiot apprentice…he stopped the download and the erasing program was cancelled as well…that was close." Cross drew out a cigarette and lit it. "But hey, now that we've managed this, the 'Plant' won't have transferred completely. It won't reach the Earl. The Master and Student stand victorious, AHAHAHAH!"

"…" Silence was the only thing heard through the transmitters that should be working correctly.

"Ignoring me, huh?" Cross 'hmph'-ed in annoyance.

"Allen?" Lenalee tried, still silence, "Allen are you ok?"

"Allen, we're all coming in. Send us the door. If you wish for it, it will open." Just as Cross finished his sentence, a door appeared from thin air. Cross led the way and walked through. On the other side, Allen stood in front of the piano with a tired expression. He smiled weakly at the sight of Lenalee. _Now _that_ girl would have nothing against me…_

"Lenalee…I'm glad you're safe."

"The Ark stopped breaking down! We heard the sound of a piano, was that you, Allen?"

"Yeah…" Allen answered before glaring up at Cross, leisurely smoking his cigarette on the side.

"I know what it is you want to say…and stop making that face at me." Cross demanded.

"Why?" Allen frowned, "That 'Music Score'…"

"_DIIIIINNNNNER TIIIIIIIME!_" A loud voice was heard coming from the sky.

"What?" Lenalee was shocked.

"_Lavi! It's not like he's a dog or something…_" Another voice.

"_Just wait and see, Chaoji…If Allen's hungry, he'll come running in an instant! DIIINNNER TIIIME!"_

"Somebody must be calling from somewhere inside the Ark." Cross said, slightly amused.

"_Steak, pasta, Mitarashi dango!_ _It's diner time, ALLEN! DIIIIINEEERRR TIIIIMEEE!"_

Lenalee held her hands to her mouth to shield her shock. "Lavi…Chaoji…"

"They're alive…" Allen breathed. He suddenly felt really light, like something heavy that was sitting on top of his chest for a long time had finally been lifted off.

* * *

"Edo Connection'? What's that supposed to mean?" Allen asked with a frown.

Lavi, Kanda, Chaoji and Crowley were all in the room. They have all come back. They came back.

"Don't worry, just say it when you play the song, then we'll be able to get out of here." Cross demanded as he sat smoking on one of the two chairs in the room.

"You'd better explain this all properly later, Master!" Allen said in a demanding tone as he walked over to the piano.

"I need to hear this too!" Lavi said cheerily as he followed Allen to the piano. The other exorcists gathered around too.

Allen recited the lyrics in his head, the melody rang through his head. His fingers moved on their own and the melody materialised through the piano. "Cancel the ship's 'Edo Connection'. Oh Ark, open the gate."

~x.X.x~

Desdemona gazed towards the dark sky with nothing in it. The Black Ark disappeared soon after too. Her rage has died down within a second. Her eyes felt heavy and she became really tired.

If Allen, Lenalee, Kanda and Lavi were gone, then the only exorcists left in the world are General Klaud, General Cross, General Sapporo, Miranda, Bookman, Marie and her. She sighed.

_So the little infant fell into a deep sleep._

Desdemona frowned. She can hear something. From the transmitter? She closed a hand over her left ear to hear it more clearly. However, the transmitter was silent, there was not a single sound coming from the other side.

_Among the grey ashes in the flames shining...First one, then two..._ _Surfaces numerous of your faces_

It's a song. Someone's singing, it was quite clear and quite loud. The melody...is familiar...

_A thousand dreams trickle back to the earth_

Desdemona looked up wide eyed. This melody... She's sure. It's...it's...

Edo Connection cancelled. The connection to Edo has been cancelled. Desdemona frowned at herself. She didn't even know what it meant, but she somehow knew, that knowledge just appeared in her head.

Desdemona couldn't tell where the song was coming from. She looked down to see the others still grieving. Miranda buried her face into her hands. They don't seem to hear it.

Edo Connection...what is that?

_On the night when the silver eyes were trembling..._

The pendant. The girl touched it. She could feel it vibrating more violently and heating up at her chest. What is the Innocence trying to do?

Suddenly, something appeared in the sky. Desdemona looked up, she must have been hallucinating.

In the middle of the night sky, a single shining rectangle appeared. Soon enough, many other shining rectangles formed, aligning themselves into a ring.

"What's that?" Desdemona said, trying to get the attention of the others.

Miranda suddenly sat upright, many glowing orbs surrounded her Time Record.

The others looked up too. The many glowing rectangles now emit quite an amount of light. They crackled slightly with white electrical sparks.

_...the shining you was born_

The song continued as suddenly, the white Ark reappeared within the band of glowing rectangles. Only this time, the white outer wall of the Ark was semi-transparent, allowing the exorcists and the two Chinese to see inside, where a white town with a tall tower at its centre floated. Desdemona recognized it. It was the same town Allen and her went through before.

The gate is being opened...the gate. Random knowledge appeared in her head again. She shook her head, what on earth is happening?

_Across millions of years and months..._

Panels of glowing polygons appeared before the exorcists, Desdemona recognised the Ark's gate. Only this one has a number 8 on it. A redhead popped out from the panels. "Hey! Everybody ok?" He said casually, waving a hand.

"LAVI?" They said in shock.

"You came back!" Marie jumped up.

Miranda started bawling from relief, "You're alive…the vanished time came back…"

"Is Kanda alright as well?" Marie asked Lavi worriedly.

The said Japanese appeared behind Lavi, carrying Crowley, through the panels with a sour expression. "Shut up, Marie!"

"Did you hear that, Master?" Marie turned to General Tiedoll, squatting in a corner trembling with tears, happily. Being insulted by Kanda had never made Marie feel so happy before.

_No matter how many prayers are returned to the Earth…_

Lavi stood there smiling idiotically at the teary reunion when a sudden foot landed in the side of his face. He was sent flying 5 metres before landing roughly on dirt. Bookman stood there with a raging glare. "WHAT IS THIS?" he exclaimed, streams of tear and snot still on his face. "THIS IS TERRIBLE FOR MY HEART!"

Allen came out next. Miranda was crying more intensely each time someone comes out. The sensation of being lifted up, straight out of the endless void of despair, though a great sensation, was capable of rendering anyone to their weakest state. Allen reassured her he was alright before spotting Desdemona and gave a smile. Only then he noticed she was staring intently at the Ark up above.

Seeing her made him feel more relieved than when he heard Lavi, Chaoji and Kanda's voice back inside the Ark. He didn't know why but he was too tired to think about why. He never paid much attention to it, but there was always an underlying fear of not being able to see her again. Now it's gone. It's just like having a huge amount of weight lifted off your chest, and just as you enjoy the lightness without those weights, an invisible weight that you weren't even aware of was lifted from you. This sensation is eerily more relieving than the first since you didn't even know the weight was there, suffocating you, until it's lifted.

As a passing thought, he silently wondered if she was worried about him. Given the state of the others, he would guess their situation didn't look too good from the outside. He didn't know if he wanted her to worry about him. It'd be weird if she did…but it'd be disappointing if she didn't. As he approached her, he heard her mutter something. "I will still continue to pray…"

"Did you say something?" Allen asked, tilting his head slightly to the side with a cheeky smile.

The girl snapped her eyes to him and glared. He stepped back. He knows that glare…just in case…

"Lenalee." She said simply. Allen blinked for a few heartbeats before laughing in relief and stood to one side, allowing Desdemona to see the gate.

Chaoji came out next, Kie and Maosa rushed up and the three of them huddled together while a stream of spewing tears came out from each of their eyes. They make a great fountain.

Desdemona's eyebrow twitched and Allen noticed. He smiled in amusement. She hates teary reunions, doesn't she?

At that moment, Lenalee came out. Her eyes landed on Desdemona first and she ran over crying and threw her arms around the younger girl. Desdemona stepped back, trying to balance out the impact of Lenalee's momentum.

"Dem! I thought I would never see you guys again! Wah!" Lenalee cried while half strangling the younger girl.

Allen watched in amusement as the Eurasian girl awkwardly patted Lenalee on the back. "It's ok. It's ok. It's alright now." The white-haired boy snickered and the girl heard it. While standing there awkwardly with Lenalee still bawling, Desdemona glared at Allen. He just laughed out loud.

Desdemona was about to beat some sense into Allen when the hyperactive Lavi spotted the hugging girls. Either attempting at more skinship with the other gender or he was just simply stupid, for whatever reason, Lavi screamed, "GROUP HUGGGG!" and ran over, pulling Bookman along. He threw himself at the girls, dragging Allen with him in the process. Lavi crashed into Lenalee and Allen was pushed against Desdemona. Bookman sandwiched between the two younger males with a displeased expression.

Miranda finally stood up and joined the group hug.

The childishly crying General Tiedoll ran over and crashed into the forming clump of humans. Kie, Maosa and Chaoji ran over in a line of three, charging at the group hug with only Kanda in the way. Kanda watched the group hug in disgust before the unforeseen Chinese threesome crashed into him and half pushed/dragged him into the hug. Kanda was squished between Lavi and Maosa, giving him barely any route of escape. The Japanese looked at Lavi with a threatening expression with which Lavi replied, "Ahh! Yuu! Isn't this great!" Marie joined last, his huge form blocked out the last ray of hope Kanda had.

"WAHHH!" Nearly all of them started and/or continued crying all at once. Kanda was, of course, not one of them. He simply stood there with a snarl as he was soaked in Marie/Maosa/Lavi tears. Allen laughed. He didn't know why. Desdemona turned her head to Allen through much struggling, though their inevitable proximity at the time meant their faces were inches from each others. Desdemona attempted to summon her deadliest glare at Allen. "I will never forgive you."

Allen laughed more and Desdemona frowned. What's so funny? "For what?" Allen said.

"For-" Desdemona stopped herself just before she could say something she would have regretted. _Making me worry…_

Desdemona turned her head to the front with a frown at herself. What? She was worried? What has this world come to? How could she be worried about _him_? Desdemona was sure she was angry with him...but for what?

Allen anticipated for an answer, but when the girl just simply turned her head around in mid-sentence, he knew he was not going to get one. He still smiled at the back of her head. Why is he suddenly so happy?

With a happy sigh, Allen lowered his chin onto Desdemona's left shoulder. They were pushed together so close that his chin needn't to navigate far. The girl frowned down at him, but he closed his eyes, still weakly laughing. She pouted in frustration. Why is he so frustrating?

Allen inhaled, Desdemona could feel his chest cavity expanding on her back. Suddenly, her heart jerked. And after that, it's just beats on like nothing ever happened. She was sure she just had a heart-attack...or something...

And who said he could use her shoulder as a chin rest?

In the midst of crying "Teary Reunion" fans (minus Kanda), Desdemona could do nothing other than just standing there awkwardly and wait for the fans to stop worshipping their idol. Taking the chance, Allen just stayed where he was, enjoying his momentary peace of mind and body. After all that he's been through, staying like this felt like heaven.

Timcampy sat on General Cross's shoulder. The latter stood to the side, not wishing to be in the midst of filthy people...that excludes the three females in that clump.

General inhaled through his cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke as he narrowed his eyes at the Eurasian girl in the centre of that clump.

That girl, she's Klaud's newest student.

Cross's eyes trailed down to the girl's neck where something caught the light and sparkled.

That pendant...it's strange...

* * *

Hehe. Finally! It's a really long chapter and a stressful one to write.

And finally! There's finally some small degree of romance in this romance story! Only in this kind of intensely stressful and dangerous situation do these sorts of things happen. XD

Hope you liked it!

Now some ranting time: I bought DGM Vol. 16 before. It was destroyed by my sister by pouring a cup of water onto it. As compensation, she had to pay for a new Vol. 16 and also a Vol. 17. I got a Vol. 18 for my birthday and a week ago, I got both Vol. 15 and 19! Now I have Vol. 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19! I'm so happy. TAT

Also, I strongly recommend the new anime No. 6, as well as its manga and novel. It's just soooo...*teary*

That's enough ranting from me, now it's your turn!

REVIEWW!

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	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

Happy Valentine's day! Wishing all the couples out there a nice day with lots of chocolates!

I had planned for this chapter to be published on Valentine's for the sake of it. XD

Now enjoy the story! I'll continue ranting at the end!

* * *

Desdemona sighed and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. She sat on the white Infirmary bed, practically naked except for her underwear. The Head Nurse jumped around her, operating the various machines that were attached to her via tubes and needles. Some drawing blood, some injecting fluids into her. She sighed again. She has no idea why the Head Nurse is so obsessed. This is the 5th time the Nurse did a 'Check Up' on her since the time three days ago when they used the Ark to return to Headquarters.

"Left arm up." The Head Nurse commanded. Desdemona obeyed. The Nurse narrowed her eyes as she scrutinized the newly formed scar on the left side of her ribs. She sighed. She had done everything to prevent scarring, but it was no use. It was treated too late and it was too deep to begin with. It's heartbreaking to watch. Even when the girl said she didn't care...she's still a girl. Normally, a scar this big would drive a girl her age into depression. But she just shrugged.

Desdemona lowered her arm when the Nurse turned away. She scribbled something down on the paper on the clipboard she was holding and read more numbers off more machines.

After ages, the Nurse finally started detaching tubes from her. Numerous cotton balls were pressed against her skin and taped after the needles were pulled out. When all the tubes were gone, Desdemona proceeded to put her clothes back on, which she found particularly difficult since the cotton balls kept on getting in the way.

The Head Nurse suddenly appeared in front of Desdemona's face, wearing a scary expression. The taller woman towered over the young girl as she swallowed in fear. "Listen carefully, you careless brat!" She said in a threatening tone. "Even though your test results are completely normal, it isn't normal to faint with no sign of life. Twice, may I add. So I sincerely _suggest_ you to be careful and pay attention to your own body."

The Nurse pressed her face closer to Desdemona's, the girl stepped back a little. "Y-yes. I understand."

Barely satisfied, the Nurse turned around and waved her hand in a shooing motion. Desdemona slipped out the door quickly, closing the door behind her and sighed in relief. The Head Nurse is really scary...

Desdemona turned around and leaned against the wall, touching a hand to the left side of her ribs. _Scar, huh? Why would I care?_

_..._

Her other hand travelled up to her right shoulder, clutching her upper arm. She could feel the lump on her skin. Even when she tries to hide it, even when it can no longer be seen, when she touches it, she could always feel it. She despises that scar, just that scar. She wants to erase it. She wants to erase him from her memory. She wanted to erase his existence; pretend he never existed in this world.

But she can't. However much she wanted to deny it, her own existence is the indisputable proof of his. He exists in her mind, the endless hatred that carved him into her consciousness forces her to remember. She hates him, she hates him so much that she would never be able to forget he existed, forget what he did. He is in her blood, in her every cell. Her own body binds her to him in an unbreakable bond. No matter how much she struggle, it's futile.

If she could, she would pull him back out of his grave, then kill him, then revive him, then kill him. She would kill him a million times, she would let him die a million times. She can't just let him simply die, he can't die. That's too easy on him.

But she can't do that.

"UWWAAAHHHHH!"

Desdemona snapped out of her thoughts and looked towards the two double doors on the other side of the corridor. The left door leads to the room where the males were imprisoned through the duration of their experience in the hell known as 'Head Nurse', the right door leads to the room where the females are trapped through the duration of the hell known as 'Komui Lee'.

"UUUWWWAHHH! LENALEE!" Komui cried out loud, so loud that it could even be heard outside, in the corridor. Those double doors with red crosses on them are especially soundproof, the walls around here too. It's to ensure the patients get enough sleep, seeing as the Science Department liked to do their most dangerous experiments at night...

Desdemona heard the sound of footsteps from the door behind her. The Head Nurse might have finished packing. She needs to get back into the room before she comes out, or else the girl would be in a bit of trouble.

She walked across the wide corridor and lifted her hands to push open the doors.

"!"

Ok, maybe not. Desdemona looked back quickly at the door the Head Nurse was about to appear from. The handle turned. The girl acted quickly. She turned and sprinted to the end of the corridor where Komui's many blockades stood. They were to keep Bak from coming to visit Lenalee...since, unfortunately, his well-hidden feelings were finally revealed. She jumped over the blockades and the many Komui's life size cut outs and finally arrived – freedom.

She looked back, the Head Nurse was walking across the corridor. Desdemona kneeled down behind a Komui cut out and waited until the Head Nurse's footsteps disappeared into the room. She smiled and stood up, stretched and started walking away.

~x.X.x~

"UUUUWWWWAAAHHHH!" Komui cried, not only disturbing Miranda's slumber but also soaking half of Lenalee's bed in tears. The obnoxious Eurasian girl was not here, fortunately for Komui, because she would have thrown him out the window and let him fall for 400 km before landing head first onto the merciless ground beneath, successfully breaking all the bones in his body and rendering this life-size-Komui flesh clump lifeless.

However, at that particular moment, Lenalee had really wanted to throw her brother out herself. He was so embarrassing and he was disturbing everyone else...Miranda.

The Head Nurse came back into the room, she saw Komui's state and the state of Lenalee's bed linens and fumed. "You are quite the disturbance here, Supervisor. If you dirty the bed any further, I may remove you from the ward!"

"Head Nurse...you're horrible." Komui said, lifting his head up and revealing his face full of tears coming from his eyes and nose.

Lenalee sweatdropped. "I'm pretty sure you have plenty of work you should be doing, brother..."

With a syringe in one hand and a scalpel in the other, the Head Nurse loomed over Komui, effectively rounding him to the door.

"Oh by the way," Komui tried. "I made this robot of myself, it can sing a lullaby..." The scientist pulled out a mini mechanical Komui from thin air. It's mechanical mouth moved as it 'sang' "_**Go to sl-eeeep, go to sl-eeeep~ my sweeeeet lenaleeeeeeee**_."

The Head Nurse narrowed her eyes. "We have no need for it." Pulling the double doors together, the Nurse successfully shut the Supervisor out.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lenalee turned to Miranda. "Sorry for all the noise, Miranda..."

Miranda shook her head, she had been watching the siblings with a smile. "It's alright, Lenalee."

Lenalee smiled apologetically. She looked up at Head Nurse, "Head Nurse, where is Dem?"

The Nurse turned around with a murderous glare. The said girl's bed was empty...

_That brat...she ran away..._

~x.X.x~

Lavi lay in his bed, completely defeated. Crowley's stomach is constantly growling loudly, destroying any chance of sleep the other exorcists have. The main problem is that Crowley is unconscious, they can't feed him anything. They can't move him to a different room either, the entire Infirmary is filled with people from the recent series of missions.

Kanda had got up and claimed he would go back to his own room, but that is forbidden by the Head Nurse. Marie told Kanda it was not allowed but Kanda was confronted by the visiting General Tiedoll. The two performed their own action drama in the ward. Chaoji and his friends were having a loud and touching conversation. Bookman was surprisingly deaf and was asleep.

Lavi sighed, there's no way he could sleep. He's hungry too. He should go eat something.

Eat...

Eat...

Allen. Allen hasn't been making a sound since ages ago. Lavi turned in his bed. "Allen, you want to go down and get some food with me?"

There was no reply.

"Allennn~~~"

Still no reply. That's when Lavi realised the shape of the lump in Allen's bed was unnaturally large and ...spherical.

"Allen?"

Lavi tried once more. When there's still no response, Lavi walked over and peeled back the sheets.

The sight that greeted his was appalling. A whole mountain of food scraps tumbled down from Allen's bed. It includes many hundreds of porcelain bowls and plates. There were two skeletons of two giant fish, their head and tail still intact. There was also a skeleton of a whole entire roasted adult pig. The spine, the ribs, everything was clearly visible. The only bits of flesh left on it was its tail, it's butt and it's head. The hollow eyes of the pig and the ugly nose made Lavi feel sick.

Although there's nothing in his stomach he could vomit up at the moment.

* * *

Desdemona smiled at herself proudly. She sneaked past the Science Department and was able to get inside the Ark. Those Science Department people are sure dedicated. They would barely take their eyes off the gate. She knew that if she was spotted by anyone, she would be sent back to the Head Nurse, where hell awaits...

That aside, she's now inside the familiar white town. The entire Ark's hers to explore!

She walked along the streets and alleyways of the Ark. There were a lot of doors, each of them had a number above it. Some of them had pieces of paper stuck on them, labelling their destination.

She arrived before a plain looking wooden door, 'Asia Branch' it was labelled.

There were still a lot of other doors, they don't have labels. She wondered where they led to...

She reached out for one of the unlabelled door's handle, twisted and pushed it open.

...

There was nothing there, just darkness and nothingness. Desdemona pouted childishly in annoyance. This is boring.

She closed the door and walked on. When she came across a junction between two streets, she saw something down the street that crossed the one she was walking on. She walked towards it.

Upon closer inspection, she saw food scraps on the ground. There was an empty porcelain bowl, a pile of bones, an empty pack of biscuits...Desdemona followed the food scraps with her eyes. The trash made a trail and seemed to lead somewhere. Out of curiosity, she followed it.

She soon arrived before a door, where the trail of rubbish seemed to end. She tilted her head to the side. What's behind that door?

She reached for the handle and pushed gently. When the door was wide enough, she saw that the wall of the room was white, the floor was white too. She slowly poked her head into the room, still not fully opening the door.

She froze. Sitting in the centre of the room, in front of a white upright piano, on a cushioned piano stool, crossed legged, a large sack of food before him on the floor, half a hamburger between his hands and mouth, staring at her with a shocked expression...was Allen.

"Hmph- Ack!" Pulling the hamburger out of his mouth, Allen started coughing while pounding his chest with his free hand, choking on his burger.

Desdemona blinked.

After Allen finished his coughing fit, he slowly lifted his head up, wiping his mouth. "Uh...Dem? What are you doing here?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you." The girl replied while pushing the door completely open.

"Oh...haha...Aren't you supposed to be doing a check up with the Nurse?" Allen scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"It's finished." Desdemona replied bluntly, crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Oh...then aren't you supposed to be in the ward? What are you doing in the Ark?"

Desdemona raised an eyebrow, why does it sound like he's interrogating her? "I've been meaning to ask _you_, exactly that."

Allen looked down. "Er...I think I sort of...ran away?"

Desdemona looked up in thought, "I guess I did too..."

She looked back down at the boy and saw him laughing. "Ahaha. Then I guess the Head Nurse must be really angry now..."

Desdemona uncrossed her arms and ran a hand through her hair. Then she suddenly remembered that she left her hair tie in the examination room...since she ran away too quick...

Allen smiled and shifted himself to the side, giving the girl room to sit down on the stool. Allen only found that stool a moment ago...it was hiding behind the couch, below that window/mirror.

Desdemona closed the door behind her and walked over to the piano. She looked to the side slightly and froze. There was a huge window to her left...only there's nothing on the other side to be seen so it acts more like a mirror. In the reflection, everything in the room could be seen, the piano, the stool, two other chairs, a couch and herself. Only Allen. Instead of Allen, sitting on the piano stool was a shadow. A shadow wearing a white coat. On his face, two glowing spots and a horizontal crescent shape could be seen. Their position suggested two eyes and an unnatural smile. Desdemona frowned. What's what?

"What's wrong?" Allen asked quietly. He followed her eyes and looked at the window panes too. His shoulders slouched. The shadow, it's still there...

Allen suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Desdemona's face again. Could it be...she can see it?

No, that's not possible. Master, Lenalee, Lavi, Kanda and Chaoji were all in here before. They never said anything. By the way they acted, it seemed he was the only one that could see it.

"Nothing." Desdemona replied simply and sat down on the right side of the stool. _What is that? Allen don't seem to be able to see it...Am I hallucinating?_

Allen didn't know if he was disappointed or relieved. She couldn't see it. He was worried that she would be able to see it. He didn't know why but he felt that shadow is dangerous, he has a bad feeling about it. For that reason he didn't want her to see it. He didn't know when it started, but recently, he had wanted to protect her...

But another part of him wanted her to see. He had wanted someone to see. He had felt that if someone else could see it, he could tell them about it. He wouldn't need to pretend everything is fine anymore. He wouldn't need to feel like he's facing this alone anymore.

It was always one of those times when he felt lost or confused, those times when he was suffering and he believed he was facing it alone. It was the times when even though he wanted someone to be with him, he locks everyone out of his heart and mind for fear of making them worry. It was always one of those times when she'd intrude into him, so carelessly barge into his most vulnerable times. She's so selfish, because he knew she never intended to do it. That makes him unable to get angry at her, while it takes away his right to lock her out at the same time.

Why is she so selfish.

Allen stared at the girl as she looked around the room. He was caught unexpectedly when she shifted her gaze to him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Desdemona asked dully, tilting her head to the side.

Allen flushed and looked away. "N-nothing." He cursed inside his head. She had never looked like that before, when she tilted her head she looked...so...cute? The boy shook his head and quietly started munching at his hamburger again. "Er...so...how was the check up?" he tried to change the subject.

"Head Nurse says all my numbers are normal." She replied.

Allen nodded. "That's good."

"What about you?" She asked before she could stop herself.

He blinked.

She blinked.

"I'm not worried!" She sat up straighter.

He blinked more. And smiled.

She frowned and looked away.

"I'm alright. Thank you."

"I'M NOT WORRIED!"

...

...

"Stop eating!" She suddenly said in a commanding tone with a frown. "Even though you're _that_ type of person with _that_ kind appetite," She emphasized the words in such a way that it implied it's not a compliment. "You'll still get sick if you eat too much. Judging by the amount of rubbish you generated, I'd suggest you to stop eating."

Allen hesitated. She's really worried about him...

He shook his head. Don't be stupid, why would someone like her worry about him?

...

Is she worried? Could it be that she's actually worried?

Allen involuntarily hoped, he hoped she was worried. Then that means she cares.

He didn't understand why he would want her to care about him.

...

What is wrong with him?

Desdemona suddenly reached over for Allen's sack of food, snapping him out of his thoughts and gave him a heart attack. "I'm hungry, let's see what you have here..." She dug around the huge bag, looking for something to eat. Allen sighed as he watched her unrestrained long locks falling into the sack of food. He ran a free hand through his own hair. What to do with her... He absent-mindedly reached over and pulled her hair out of the way. He froze slightly, her hair...feels so good. It's cold and really silky. He quickly retreated his hands, fearing. He was scared, scared of that sensation that appeared in his chest, scared of his own subconscious will to run his hand through her hair more...

The girl sat up and looked at Allen with a frown. Allen pointed to the sack of food stiffly. "Your hair was falling in."

She heaved a sigh of annoyance before running her hand through her long hair and pulled it up into the usual ponytail. She hastily used a loose strand of hair to temporarily tie it up. Then she resumed her food hunting.

Allen frowned. Maybe he wasn't alright. There must be something wrong with him...

After a while, she re-emerged, holding a paper box.

Allen looked over and frowned. If he remembers correctly, in the box is...

Confirming his guess, Desdemona pulled out a chocolate muffin. She was smiling slightly, Jerry's muffins are always good. She peeled back the paper case outside the muffin, held it to her mouth with her right hand and was about to blissfully bite into it-

Allen's white head suddenly appeared in front of her eyes.

She blinked.

She felt Allen's hand on her right wrist, pushing her hand away from herself. She felt Allen's other hand pushing down on the cushion to the right of her thighs, trying to balance himself. She could feel him leaning in towards her as the cushion tilted down to her left. She felt him biting into that chocolate muffin in her right hand and pulling it out of her grip with his teeth. But mostly importantly, she felt her heart jerk. Just like that time in Edo. She was and is still convinced that she was suffering from cardiac arrests, frequent ones too.

Allen pulled his head back, successfully disarming the girl of her muffin. He released her wrist and used his now free hand to take the muffin out of his mouth so that he could speak. He turned to the girl with a frown. "Don't always eat so carelessly! You need other nutrients in your body!" Allen half-scolded her. He realized that on her face, there wasn't any anger. Rather, she looked shocked. There's also an unnatural red tint to her cheeks...Allen wondered if she wasn't feeling well...if she's about to faint again.

The boy, still leaning over her legs, returned to 'his' side of the piano stool and finished the muffin in two easy gulps. Pulling his sack of food back, he picked up a nutritious-looking sandwich and turned back to Desdemona. "Eat this if you're hungry." By that time, she was looking at him with accusingly narrowed eyes. Allen ignored the look, took a hold of her right hand again and placed the sandwich into the hand. He froze again, her wrist was so thin, so fragile, so breakable. He was scared. There was this sudden urge to protect her. And that strange sensation in his chest... He didn't know what's going on with him.

The girl sat up straighter. "What gives you the right to-"

"Just eat it!" Allen frowned, slightly frustrated. He was unconsciously screaming. "You need nutrients! You can't go on like this anymore! If you want to improve your health you need to change your horrible eating habits!" He's getting increasingly annoyed and he didn't know why. "We are fighting so much these days and everyone is straining their body! You included! If you want to keep your body working you need to eat more substantial things! And your constant fainting. You fainted with no sign of lif-!"

Desdemona put a hand in front of his face, telling him in an exaggerated gesture to shut up. She's been getting a lot of this 'no sign of life' recently. "If you're going to lecture me then-"

Suddenly Allen snapped, he grabbed her hand roughly and pulled it out of his face. He glared straight into her eyes. "Stop being so irresponsible! Stop being so selfish! You don't understand! Even if you think you are perfectly fine now, back then you nearly died!" He pulled on her hand so she could not escape as he pressed his face closer to hers, trying to emphasize the seriousness of her crime. "Don't act like as if it was nothing. It was really serious, do you not understand? I've felt death myself and it's a scary feeling. But compared to that it's even scarier watching you collapse suddenly. It was scary watching you get carried into the emergency room! And you don't understand that! To people who care for you, it's something that's scarier than dying themselves!"

Desdemona tried to shift backwards but Allen was pulling on her hand, making her situation inescapable. She was shocked. Is this really Allen? The Beansprout? The Allen that once avoided her for a month because she threw him into a bookcase? The Allen that couldn't look into her eyes for more than a mere seconds? The Allen that can't hold chopsticks?

Wait, no. That chopsticks one has nothing to do with this. And by the way, he still can't hold chopsticks.

Back to the actual problem. Desdemona frowned. Since when did he become so forceful? Since when did he find the courage to talk to her like that? And since when did he start to believe he has the right to tell her what to do?

Desdemona was on the brink of exploding anger: a mixture of her superiority-complex that would not allow her pride to be overpowered by this Beansprout (even though admittedly they were the same height, she only looked taller because her heels were 5cm), and a little bit of frustration at herself for not realizing when all these changes took place.

However, just as the girl was about to erupt, Allen's expression suddenly softened and he looked down sadly. Desdemona saw that and the anger building up within her was forcefully suppressed.

Damn. If he looked like that, there was no way she could be angry at him...

Allen sulkily turned to the front and hugged his previously crossed legs, burying his face into his knees. "You don't understand..." he muttered quietly, "...how scary it was..."

The girl looked at the boy, suddenly guilt came over her. Was it really that serious? If she gets scolded or screamed at she would argue back, but when someone's sad and looking hurt like that she doesn't know what to do. Seeing Allen like that, Desdemona suddenly didn't know what she should do. Was it because of her? He looks so hurt though... She's not sure, she doesn't know. Trying desperately to get out of this situation, Desdemona said in a teasing tone. "Oh, were you worried about me by any chance?" That always works with Kanda. He would get angry and then either verbal argument or physical combat would get her out...

"No! Why would I-" Allen started but stopped. Desdemona smiled as she waited. "...I was worried." Allen said, his quiet voice muffled by this clothes as he continued to bury his face.

Desdemona's smiled instantly disappeared. That wasn't according to her plan...She waited a few more seconds for him to say something else, but he continued to hide his face. She sighed. "You were supposed to deny it." She pointed out.

"I can't lie to myself." Allen muffled.

"Then at least lie to me to make this situation less awkward." She suggested.

"I don't want to lie to you either."

"..."

"..."

"Now what? Am I supposed to apologise?"

"No. I should. I'm sorry for screaming at you..."

Desdemona's eyebrow twitched. Is he suffering from bipolar disorder?

Allen looked up to her with tired eyes. "You should start eating that."

The girl glanced down at the sandwich in her hand and pouted. She sighed and slowly bit into it.

Allen smiled.

The two sat in silence for a while. Desdemona slowly forcing down the chicken and lettuce sandwich and Allen resumed with his hamburger slowly. She was right. He's feeling sick. He ate too much...

The girl noticed the obvious change in pace in Allen's food-eating. She didn't know if she's getting revenge at him or what, but she grabbed his wrist, pulled it towards her and wrestled the hamburger out of his hand. Still shocked, Allen watched as she called over Timcampy and threw it at the golem, who opened its mouth and finished it in one gulp.

The white-haired boy turned to look at the superiority-complex girl. She pointed a finger to the ceiling with a slightly triumphant expression. "I told you even _you_ can get sick from eating too much."

Allen blinked. Then uncontrollably, he started laughing. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't stop laughing.

Desdemona's triumphant expression was instantly replaced by an annoyed one. He goes into hysteria often these days.

Allen's legs were now kicking at empty air, his back leaned against the keyboard and pressed a few notes. Desdemona sighed and extended a hand to push the boy off the stool. He landed on the ground with an 'Umph' and finally stopped his laughter.

"What was that for?" Allen shot up quickly.

Desdemona shrugged.

Able to do nothing, Allen sat back down beside her, feeling slightly defeated. On the other hand, the girl sat beaming proudly, swinging her legs around childishly. She was feigning it to mock Allen. He sighed. Her case of superiority-complex is sure serious.

"Hey…" He started again. "You remember what you said back in Asia branch?"

"I said a lot of things." She continued to slowly nibble at the sandwich reluctantly.

"You said I was just venting my anger towards myself…" Allen looked down to stare at the food. For the first time in his life, he didn't want to see food, so he quickly looked up instead. "I'm sorry."

She looked at him. "Do you have bipolar disorder?"

He laughed. "Not that I'm aware of."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Fine. Continue."

"You said I was angry at myself. You said I was just venting my anger, battling you and Fou…You were right. I was venting my anger on you. And I'm sorry. Back then I wasn't able to admit it, but now I see."

"That's wonderful." She said blankly, turning her gaze away from him to stare at the air, continuing her sandwich. "Congratulations."

Allen frowned at her. "I'm serious! At least say you forgive me or something."

"What if I don't?" She said without meeting his eyes.

He mentally facepalmed. This girl is impossible. He smiled slightly, he didn't know why. Maybe it was because of the idea that occurred to him. She hates..."Don't be so harsh~!" Allen said in a sickly sweet tone.

She visibly flinched, much to Allen's delight. "You're disgusting."

Allen smiled wider.

_"Sometimes, it's useful to ask yourself why."_

"And that time when you told me it's useful to ask myself 'why'?" He asked, she 'hm'-ed. He looked down at his hands. "I think I found the answer."

He glanced up at the girl, who stared straight ahead. "I know, that's why you are here." She answered simply without any hint of surprise.

"My left hand, I will use to save the akumas. My right hand, I will use to protect humans."

"Nothing for yourself? Everything for others?"

"No." He answered swiftly. She turned around in surprise; he's the idealistic, nice guy isn't he? She had expected him to say yes…but she guess he did change a lot. "I'm selfish. I'm selfish because I'm human. Everything I do is for myself. I wanted to save the akumas so I can keep my promise to Mana. I want to protect humans because I'm scared to lose the people I care about. They were all excuses."

She smiled.

He froze, it was the first time he saw her genuinely smile. Having a mix of Asian and European blood in her already elevated her aesthetic appearance naturally to a standard that's beyond average, but when she smiled, Allen's heartbeats abruptly sped into a frantic pace.

He cannot fathom to think what was wrong with him.

"For once, something useful came out of your mouth." she said arrogantly.

He ignored her words and looked away. He could feel the blood rush to his head, through his face. It must be visible...

His face was a little red wasn't it, does he have fever? She mentally slapped herself. Why should she care? Change the subject, change the subject. "...So I heard you can control this Ark?" she asked casually.

"Yeah...I think." he mumbled.

"How do you do it?" she looked at him.

He turned in his seat to the piano. "I play the piano and I think of what I want the Ark to do." he explained.

She nodded and sat silently in thought for a while. "So, you can play the piano?" she finally said.

"No, no. I just recite the lyrics in my head, the tune plays in my head and my hands moves automatically." he shook his hands in denial.

"Lyrics?" she tilted her head to the side. That, again. Allen was almost scared of that.

He called over Timcampy. "Tim, show Dem the sheet music."

Desdemona watched as the golem opened its mouth and projected a circular symbol. She frowned. "That's the sheet music? You can read that?"

Allen looked down to the floor. "You see, that's the problem. Master just threw me in here without any explanation. Tim showed me the sheet music and then I realized I can read it. I don't know why those symbols are here, but those symbols were made up by someone, with me as a children's game long ago." Before Allen could stop himself, he told her more than he intended.

"Who's 'someone'?" she asked gently. She could hear the distress in his voice...she wants to slap herself. Just because he's distressed, she doesn't have to be gentle with him. Just like back in Asia branch, he was about to break so she refrained from letting her anger out. What does his emotional state have to do with her anyway?

"My adoptive father, Mana." Again. Allen thought he would not mention Mana to her but...

His adoptive father? The one he turned into an akuma and cursed him? She, again, restrained herself from pointing that out because...she didn't know why. Mana... Allen was an orphan before so he must've taken his last name from this Mana person...Mana Walker? She was sure she has heard of that name before...

"I promised Mana I would keep walking down the path I choose until I die. But now I'm not sure anymore...why would these symbols be here when only Mana and I can read it? What has Mana got to do with this? And now I even doubt whether I'm walking down the right path!" he lifted his legs up to the stool and hugged them again. "Is this really something I chose for myself? But why does it feel like it was chosen for me? It feels like it's a path that was all planned out for me and I am just a puppet!"

She stared at him for a while. He dropped his head, shielding his eyes with his hair.

After a moment of silence, she smiled and looked back to the front. "Fate...it's such a mysterious thing."

He listened. She said something similar back in Asia Branch too.

"The small things that you think was unimportant at the time may become a large part of something else in the future, but you would never know that." she took another small bite of her sandwich and turned to him, who was staring at her with shining silver eyes, waiting for her to continue.

"Fate, it loves to toy with people's lives. It has no interest in one's wellbeing, it just likes to be entertained. Kind of like a spoilt kid. We are just its toys, like puppets, as you put it." She shrugged. "If you are talking about puppets, we all are. None of us chose to be compatible, none of us chose to be exorcists. The paths we walk down are often not our own choices."

He looked down. She was right. He never wanted to be compatible...but he never hated it either. He saw it as a duty he had to fulfill, for Mana's sake.

She turned to the front again with a sigh. "This is just me, but, I think no matter what kind of path I end up walking on, I won't ever regret the choices I make. Even if these choices were already planned out for me, even if my path was just something made to amuse a spoilt kid. If I live out the plan, the plan becomes my life. It becomes me. The choices Fate made long ago become my choices I make for myself. If I am a puppet, then be it. I'll be a puppet who lives out the script and makes the script its life."

Allen stared at her. She really is an incredible person...she's so...so strong. That kind of attitude to life that disregards any doubt and regret, takes all her own actions into her own hands. She must have quite a clear direction in life. He wished he was like her...

"I'm not saying I know exactly what I'm doing with my life." She said suddenly, completely contradicting Allen's thoughts. Can she read minds? "And it's not like I can actually live like that. It's just how I think I _should_ live, the ideal perspective to life. My own personality just doesn't allow me to let Fate control my life without a fight. And when I struggle, I always realize that there's no way to defy Fate. But I'm not satisfied with that, so I still fight on anyway. Sometimes, when I get tired of struggling, I always think, why am I this kind of person. If I could admit defeat and let Fate take over, my life would be a lot easier."

Allen's eyes softened, that sounds very much like her.

"I would never regret anything I do, so I don't regret fighting back. But I do doubt. After all, I'm only human. Those moments I often blame Fate. So when I think about it afterwards, Fate may actually not exist, it may just be something we humans can blame when we are in distress. Fate just becomes an excuse for the weak. If it's like that then Fate is such an unfortunate existence, always getting blamed." She laughed at her own words, they sound quite absurd out loud.

His chest felt something weird, like a tightening sensation. Her laugh. He was sure this was the first time he heard her laugh... It was a sound he would not mind listening to for eternity.

He stared at her face. The usual coldness, distance was gone. Her eyes, they weren't as piercing as they were before...right now they have warmth in them. Gentleness.

For some reason, she just seemed a little closer. Not the hard-to-approach girl with extreme superiority-complex, or a strong person to the point of almost feeling distant. "Thank you." He said.

She turned to him with a frown. "What are you thanking me for?" She asked, before noticing a strange expression he was wearing while staring at her. He was smiling gently in a grateful way, but the strange thing was that it was also mixed with some sort of loving affection. She shuddered, that's disgusting.

"Thank you for what you said. It helped me a lot." He smiled a little wider.

She glared at him, though he seemed unaffected. "Who said I was intending to help you?"

He laughed, her eyebrow twitched. "Of course you weren't intending to help me." His tone was like that of an adult talking to a simple-minded child. "But it still helped me, so thank you."

"I don't accept your thanks, they are unnecessary." She said coldly and looked away dismissively.

He shrugged. "You can't reject gratitude."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I accept and reject whatever I want."

She glared at him for a little while longer and he smiled at her for a little while longer. He was the one to break the momentary silence. "Now I know."

She blinked, what is he talking about?

"Now I know why you are wrong."

Superiority-complex instantly kicked in, he's going to prove her wrong, huh? Bring it on! Though she doesn't even know what he's going to prove her wrong on...

"You said friends and comrades are unnecessary, escaping loneliness is just an illusion. That's not true." He looked down to the floor. She blinked, oh that. She did tell him to prove her wrong when he can but...she doesn't want to. "It is true that throughout our journey of life, we walk our own path by ourselves, no one can walk it for us. But it is possible for others to walk beside you, going through life together, just being beside someone is of much importance. If you trip and fall, they can pull you up. If they fall, you can pull them up. Loneliness is not the fact you have to go through life by yourself, it is when there's no one there to be beside you when you need someone, it is when you trip and no one helps you. That's loneliness."

She frowned. "Pull each other up? That's nonsense, you get up by yourself. You have to do it yourself."

Allen thought about it. "Ok, I admit. Maybe not 'pull each other up', 'help' is more correct. Yeah, you are right. The actual act of getting up depends on yourself. But others can encourage you, others can give you a reason to pull yourself up, others can show you the path in front of you is worth walking and others can threaten you with loneliness. If they walk on and you are left behind, you become alone. Using that fear, others can force you to get up. If there's no one beside you, you may fall and never get up when you can still go on."

Desdemona frowned. "What made you believe that?"

"You." He said simply and firmly.

She blinked.

"You helped me and made me realize I'm not going through this alone. Even though I am the one who has to go through this, what you said really helped. No, the simple fact that you are here helped." He flashed her a smile.

Her heart did another...thing it does. She looked away quickly. What _is_ that? And what on earth is the he saying? She never intended to help him in any way!

When her heart returned to beating normally on its merry way, she thought about his words and smiled. "Still saying such unrealistic and idealistic things, I see. You haven't changed."

He laughed. "And just then you said I was saying realistic things. Just admit it, I am right."

"Shut up." She replied so quickly it was almost funny.

He watched as she finally, finally put the last bit of the sandwich into her mouth. He smiled and reached out a hand to pat her on the head. "Good work."

She lightly slapped his hand away, "Don't touch me." She warned with narrowed eyes. Why is he treating her like that? Is he even alright?

He just smiled, idiotically.

Ok, he is not alright.

At that moment, the transmitter Desdemona forgot to take off buzzed, followed by the sound of static noise, then the horrifying voice came through.

"_Desdemona. Beast._" The dreaded voice of a very angered Head Nurse pronounced the girl's name so clearly and sharply that the girl flinched. Out of a pure feeling of doom, some pretty colourful language came from her mouth.

Allen blinked, what did she just say?

"_Do mind your language young girl._" The Head Nurse said in such a sickly calm tone that it was even more frightening than her screaming.

Allen leaned into the girl and put his ear next to the transmitter. Desdemona frowned, can he stop getting so close to her? "_I do understand you have taken refuge within the Ark. And the missing ALLEN WALKER..._" The boy flinched. They were doomed.

"_Oh! What is that?_" Some faint voice in the background said. The two escapees frowned.

"_Hey look! It's a trail of food scraps! Allen must have left it!_" Johnny, it was Johnny's voice.

When the words finally sank in, the two turned to each other with fear in their eyes. They turned to the door, watching the handle intently, fearing for its movement.

Desdemona reacted first. She jumped up and grabbed Allen by the collar, he stumbled forwards and accidentally knocked over the bag of food. Her eyes were cold and her voice was commanding. "Destroy that door, right now!"

Allen looked at her helplessly.

"Go play your song thing and wish for it to disappear, you said it yourself, right?"

His face became more helpless. "I didn't figure out how to destroy a gate...yet..." He mumbled quietly.

She let go/threw him down to the ground and turned her back on him with an angered 'Hmph'. He continued to stare at her with a helpless look. She paced the room with frantic footsteps and turned back to him. Holding him up by his collar again, she glared into his eyes. "Then you can at least create gates, right? Create a gate to somewhere else so we can get away from the Head Nurse!" Accordingly, she threw him onto the piano chair.

However, before Allen could position himself and play the song, the door slammed open. Standing in the doorway, was the most frightening woman in the world...

Head Nurse.

* * *

Honestly speaking, this chapter is long but nothing much happened. They just sat there and talked. XD I tried to make it better but can't seem to do it...

Didn't tell you guys before but I changed my pen name. No longer Kami666 but Kavilene. The old one was too cliché. XD

Still, hope you guys liked it.

PLEASE REVIEW!

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	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

Sorry about the late update. My school life is getting pretty frantic here. I'll still try to update as often as possible, but knowing my long chapters and lack of time, it will probably slow down. Sorry about that, but I will definitely not abandon this story!

**Follow me on Twitter! (Name: Kavilene, see my profile)  
**

* * *

_Bidelia stood beside Neah and looked up. The house in front of her was not large and grand like her own home. It was small, but it had something her home lacked - warmth._

_Her mother was sick again, her father wished to keep the house quiet for her mother's recovery. For that reason, the piano lesson scheduled for today was moved to Neah's house instead. Bidelia had been nervous since morning, but with Neah beside her, all her worries magically fly away._

_After Neah finished paying the coachman, the carriage drove away and Neah walked up from behind Bidelia. "It's not impressive like your place but, it's sufficient for me. Hope you don't mind."_

_She shook her head. "It's very warm."_

_Neah smiled. Smiling, that's something he finds himself doing a lot around her. He led her through the front gate, up a few steps and arrived at the door. Bidelia stepped on the Welcome mat and admired its softness._

_Neah pulled out a keys and opened the door. He walked in and held the door open for the girl behind him. As she entered, a sweet smell hit her nose._

"_Welcome to my humble home." Neah said._

_Bidelia slowly looked around and admired the house. The wooden furniture was small and simple, covered with pieces of red and white chequered table cloth. The small red cushions on the chairs around the dining table to the right were very cute. A set of wooden stairs led upstairs to the left and cream curtains hung at windows._

_Neah placed the keys on a small shoe cupboard next to the door. "It is nothing like your family's grand estate. I apologise for my low standards of hospitality."_

_"Oh, no! Not at all!" Bidelia shook her head._

_"I try to keep this place clean..." Neah scratched his head and smiled. Bidelia thought he just looked adorable for a moment there. "Though it's hard to do. I hope it's not too dusty since I've been quite busy these days..." The pianist swiped a finger across the top of the shoe cupboard, looked at the thick layer of accumulated dust on his finger and sighed. "I'll have to clean this up later...let's go." He walked away in defeat._

_Bidelia watched him, amused. "Neah, do you live by yourself?"_

_"No," he replied as he headed towards a door at the bottom of the stairs. "I live with my brother."_

_"What kind of person is he?" Bidelia followed Neah. _

_The man hesitated at the door, a hand on the knob. After a while of thought, he turned around with a cheeky smile._

_"The opposite kind as me."_

_Bidelia tilted her head to the side...the opposite kind as Neah?_

_The man laughed, as if amused by his own joke. He opened the door and headed in._

_"What's his name?" She followed him through the door. _

_The walls and the floor were all white. White tiles on the floor, white paint on the walls. The ceiling here was much higher than outside. On one wall, a large window stretched from floor to ceiling, surrounded by a simple white frame. It was made of many panels of glass, all of them seemed be more like mirrors than windows. Bidelia looked at her reflection in the glass, the street outside could barely be seen. A white, long, three-seated couch was placed in front of the 'window'._

_At the centre of the room, a white upright piano stood. The lid and the music stand were all opened, as if the piano was used so often that closing it would be meaningless - it will be reopened almost as soon. A cushioned stool and a wooden chair were placed in front of the piano. _

_It was odd, really. Bidelia felt as if this room was from a completely different place than the rest of the house. The colour, the furniture, the height of the roof almost suggests this room wasn't part of the house. The warmth from before, the warmth was gone. Instead, there was a slight sense of neglect, hatred even._

"_Mana." Neah brought Bidelia out of her thoughts. The man now stood before the piano and gestured for Bidelia to sit on the stool._

_The girl headed over and sat down. Neah lowered himself onto the chair beside her. "You know what to do." He nodded._

_She smiled. Even though he taught her many things, there's only one song he is particular about. She breathed, lifted her hands to the foreign keys and started playing._

_Neah reached inside his left coat pocket, found what he sought and grabbed hold of it. The small piece of Dark Matter vibrated in his palm. The Noah closed his eyes, reciting the lyrics of the song inside his head while telling of Ark of his wish. The material started to heat up. It will be done when Bidelia stops playing. _

_Neah smiled in amusement, he could tell, she's not even concentrating._

_Most of her attention was spent on wondering about the strangeness of this room. Surely Neah must have felt this room needed to be different since it's to house the piano, but a room this big would have fitted a grand piano, why a small upright in such a huge room? Additionally, the roof of the other rooms were much lower, from the outside, it looks like there's a second floor too. She doesn't really understand architecture, but to have this room's roof so high, the room directly above must be really small. She frowned at herself, she must be over thinking it. The design of this house might just be strange._

_As she landed on the last note, she turned to look at Neah, who sighed. "You aren't even concentrating."_

_Bidelia blushed in embarrassment. Of course, Neah could tell._

_The man leaned forwards with a curious smile, suddenly appearing to be very childish. "What were you thinking about?"_

_The girl was taken back, "I was just wondering...this room seems really different from the rest of the house..." She said slowly, carefully wording her thoughts._

_Neah leaned back, his smiled replaced by a disappointed pout. "Is that it? Well, this house had a really weird design, that's why the roof is so high here. I bought his house from an old couple and they lived here before. Most of the furniture was theirs and I haven't renovated the place. This room was already different when I came. I had wanted to put a white grand piano here but I really don't want to abandon my old upright piano, since I'm attached." He shrugged._

_Bidelia nodded. She was over thinking after all. "Why is this room so cold?" She asked innocently._

_He looked down and frowned to himself in pain. _It's because this is the room...

_He did not want her to get involved in this war, but now it's inevitable. _

_Because of him._

_Because of him, the Millennium Earl is going to destroy the Vaughan family. They plan to erase everyone that had anything to do with him and Mana. Neah tightened his grip on the pendant in his pocket. There was no choice. He wanted to at least keep Bidelia safe. He had no choice but to do this. Creating a key for her...the amount of thought he's put into it to prevent anything from going wrong. He's scared, he's scared that even when he protected her now, sometime in the future she too will suffer because of his existence. However, by then, he won't be able to be with her, to help her. He was not going to survive what he was about to do next, he knew that. There must be someone to pass the role of the 'Musician' to. _

_If by passing that role onto her, she could survive for a little longer, he would do it._

_He had dearly hoped that she would not be the one to act upon that role, but what happens after this is completely out of his control. He only knew that when the time comes, someone will have to become the 'Musician' and he hoped it won't be Bidelia. It will be someone she cared for enough to pass the key onto._

"_Are you alright?" Bidelia stared at Neah with a worried expression, bringing Neah out of his thoughts. He sighed quietly. He didn't want to think about these things now. For now, he'll just throw away all the troubles and worries and just simply enjoy her presence. Just being with her..._

* * *

Desdemona gnawed unhappily on a bar of chocolate as she leant against a pillar of the training arena. Kanda, Lavi, Allen, Chaoji and Bookman were all doing what they called the 'rehab training'. Lenalee got out of it, luckily for her, since her ultimate embarrassment as well as excuse was Komui. Desdemona, being one that lacked such a figure for an excuse, was dragged out of her comfortable room (yes, the Head Nurse finally released them) and forced to watch idiotic male specimens kill each other.

Who trains right after they've been discharged from the infirmary?

She scowled at air while glaring at everything.

Lavi was kindly teaching Chaoji things, which involved Chaoji chasing Lavi around trying to land one of his super punches. Kanda and Bookman were having a heated battle, featuring semi-destruction of the training arena.

Allen was nagging at her, trying to convince her to train with him.

"Dem! Train with me!" Allen tried with enthusiasm.

"No." She denied him swiftly.

"Don't eat more chocolate! It's not healthy!"

"Don't tell me what to do." she said as she ducked to dodge a piece of flying debris from Kanda's general direction. It crashed into the pillar behind her and shattered. The said male skidded into view from within a dust cloud, through which one can see traces of the black needles that was Bookman's Innocence.

"You'll get fat!" Allen continued as he too dodged Chaoji's fist as Lavi tried to hide behind Allen.

"Yeah, Dem. You'll get fat!" Lavi chimed. The girl pushed Lavi's head away by the face with a glare and the idiotic rabbit ran away.

"As if I care." She narrowed her eyes in disgust at Kanda on the other side, whose clothing was practically obliterated by Bookman.

Allen frowned. But his expression lightened up as he thought of an idea. He quickly took a swipe of the chocolate in her hand and made a run for it. Arriving at the centre of the training arena, he looked triumphantly back at her.

"If you want to get this back, come fight me!" Allen said.

The girl looked at him with a bored expression...and casually pulled out a pack of liquorice from her pocket. Allen's jaws dropped. No way...

"Ahaha, Dem. Nice one!" Lavi said as he casually ran past Allen, Chaoji followed closely behind.

"DON'T ENCOURAGE HER!" Allen screamed in Lavi ear, and the redhead, once again, ran away.

Allen popped the chocolate in his mouth and ate it, so that she had no chance of getting it back. "Please, Dem?"

"No."

Allen jumped back before her, sandwiching her between the pillar and him. "But why?" He stared innocently at her.

She shifted her eyes onto him with a glare. She's frustrated. Can't he please put a little more distance between them? Especially when he was wearing a sleeveless shirt, which made his thin but suitably muscular arms visible for all to see. Just, get away from her.

She glanced at his left upper arm, where black, tattoo-like patterns connected his Innocence to the rest of his body. She frowned.

Why was she the only one that was not aware of Allen's Innocence evolving again? He passed 100% compatibility, didn't he? The entire Order knew. How come she didn't? Where was she then?

Over 100%, does that make him a General?

...

Wait a minute, him? General? What a ridiculous thought!

Not like it mattered. It was strange watching him pull out his arm but once you're in this line of work for long enough, nothing of this sort surprises you more than a few minutes. It may amuse you, however, for a long while.

For example, Desdemona fantasised about things. Like provoking Allen, him activating his Innocence, steal his Innocence and run away, hide his Innocence somewhere he can't get to, watch him walk around left-armless for a day.

Then it will be the first time ever that she has stolen a body part. That's exciting. She has never stolen a body part before.

Allen frowned at the girl's weird expression as she stared at his arm. Her expression said she was planning something, something evil against him. He warned himself to be careful.

His eyes trailed down to her exposed right upper arm, where her large tattoo adorned her shoulder and upper arm. Since she was wearing her tank top, nearly the entire tattoo could be seen. He never said anything about it, but he was very curious. No one else mentioned anything either, so he wasn't sure whether to ask or not.

That aside, her arm's so thin...It's a wonder she can throw Akumas around when it looks like she has zero arm strength.

Out of impulse, he grabbed her wrist and got rid of the pack of liquorice. Still holding onto her wrist, he held out the other hand, palm facing her. "Let's see how much arm strength you have, punch me."

_Gladly._

Without a second thought, Desdemona used her free hand to punch him. She landed a fist straight into his face and he fell back on the impact. Since he was holding her wrist tightly, he pulled on her to keep his balance.

Miscalculating her move, Desdemona lost her balance and crashed into Allen, who barely kept his balance from the punch. The impact made them both fall onto the ground, with Desdemona on top of Allen.

"Ow..." Allen moaned. His face hurts, his back hurts, his chest hurts. Everything hurts. But he laughed. For some strange reason, it was pretty funny. Yeah, she does have arm strength.

Desdemona tensed. The way his breaths tickled her ear, the sound of his heart beats, his smell, his laugh, his hand that continued to tightly wrap around her wrist. She can't take it, her chest's doing something weird. Why was her mind going blank? She wanted to move, her body won't listen.

"Dem, I meant punch my hand, not my face." Allen said as he continued to laugh, brushing his free hand through his hair and pushing back some strands in front of his eyes.

"Woah! Allen, I saw that! That was funny, Dem!" Lavi commented as he ran past with Chaoji.

Lavi woke Desdemona up from her trance. She glared up at the redhead but he didn't see it as he was too busy dodging Chaoji's punches. She then diverted her glare to the boy beneath her. "You just said to punch, and who laughs after they've been punched?" She scowled and tried to push herself up with her free hand on the concrete floor.

"But I held my hand out-" Allen stopped. Too close. Her face was too close. His heart…He looked up into her eyes. Her eyes…

They…they have either changed or he has gotten used to them. They don't seem so endless anymore. Though still deeper than most people, he could see now. Behind the many layers of coldness, superiority, pride, detachedness, there hides delicately a surprising existence of warmth. It was a caring, loving warmth, a warmth that contradicts all her artificial outer layers. It was almost as if she was scared that she would make use of that warmth that she seals it behind many masks. That was the something unknown he had noticed long ago, but never dared to venture far enough to find it.

Desdemona froze. Allen's eyes, his eyes were staring straight into hers. He no longer looks away in discomfort after a while, he just stared at her. She felt uncomfortable, vulnerable; it felt as if he could see right through her. Breaking through all her barriers she had so painstakingly set up…so easily, so carelessly.

His eyes were radiating, radiating with so much warmth and love that it was nauseating. She was scared. Scared of that warmth. Scared because it made her think, even if only for a millisecond, that she wouldn't mind him seeing into her, that she would let him, that she wouldn't mind exposing herself to him

She averted her eyes. She should never have these thoughts.

Never.

He silently sighed in relief when she looked away. His heart seems to recover. He continued to stare at the girl's face and wondered. More, he wanted to see more of it. He wouldn't mind immersing himself in that warmth he saw even if it meant exploring deeper, even if it meant exposing himself entirely to her…

There's also a strange feeling. He didn't know what, it seemed familiar, yet so foreign. It may be a good feeling, he didn't know... More. He wanted more of her. To see more, know more, understand her better.

"ALLEN! LET GO OF DEM WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU BRAT? WHAT HAS CROSS TAUGHT YOU?" Lavi screamed from the other side.

Allen quickly released the girl's hand. "NO! SHUT UP LAVI! I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING TO HER!"

Desdemona quickly clambered up, anything to put more distance between her and him.

The boy also stood up, rubbing his cheek painfully. It's starting to swell.

Lavi decided to run past again. "Good Allen. Cross germs have not infected you." And ran away again. Chaoji trailed after him, muttering an apology as he squeezed between Allen and Desdemona.

"I AM NOT LIKE MY MASTER!" Allen angrily screamed at the redhead. "GO CHAOJI! PUNCH LAVI!" He encouraged.

Desdemona took the chance to silently escape. However, before she could go far, he called after her. "Dem! Where are you going?"

She cursed under her breath as she heard him follow. Just leave her alone.

"Dem! My cheek's swelling! Take me to the infirmary!"

"No! I'm not going back to that horrid place!"

"Dem~!"

"No."

"Dem~~~!" She turned to glare at him. Lifting her fist up, she threatened him, "You want me to punch the other side to even the pain out?" She asked with a raise of the eyebrow.

Allen shook his head frantically.

She turned and stomped forwards. Allen tried to keep up with her pace, feeling fortunate that she didn't take off her heels.

She headed up the many staircases, through many turns and shortcuts. She's probably going for her room, Allen presumed. But he wouldn't know because he's already lost. His sense of direction isn't that great.

Turning a corner, the girl suddenly stopped. At the pace they were going at, Allen wasn't able to stop in time, causing him to bump into her back.

She glared at him, he smiled apologetically while rubbing his swollen cheek. He froze when he saw the person in front of him.

A head of long, bright red hair; a white mask covering half of his face; the arrogant, annoying smirk; a cigar hanging from his lips; everything was so familiar and yet it reminded Allen of a heap of unpleasant memories.

Most of which, concerns the word "Debt".

Cross Marian slowly exhaled, the corners of his mouth instantly turned downwards at the sight of his apprentice. However, a smile replaced the scowl just as fast when he spotted the girl. He gracefully floated over and bent down slightly.

Jumping in between the man and the girl, Allen glared at his Master. "Master! There you are! You need to explain to me the score! The piano-"

Cross pushed Allen aside and flashed his infamous smile that had thousands of women fainting. "How are you, young lady? I have yet to introduce myself."

Allen panicked. He had seen the power of that smile himself. He has to protect her, so he tried to place himself in between his Master and the girl again...only to be brushed away again.

The flirtatious man took a hold of the girl's hand and attempted to lift it to his lips. Allen screamed inside his own head, he won't make it. He reached out a hand too, to grab Dem's hand and pull it back.

The girl smiled at the General politely. Using her wrist, she gently twisted the angle of her hand, transforming Cross's attempt into a handshake. She shook his hand. "I am well, thank you, General Cross."

Allen blinked. He sighed in relief.

Cross's cheek twitched. This brat is exactly the same as Klaud. "And you must be Klaud's apprentice."

"My name is Desdemona. It is a pleasure to meet you." She continued to smile. But Allen noticed it was sort of bland.

"The pleasure is mine." Cross smiled back too.

Allen stood to the side, waiting, as the two continued to hold hands and smile forcefully at each other. As the atmosphere became more tense, added to Allen's increasing discomfort, he grabbed onto their wrists and pulled their hands apart. "Master! Get your hands off her! What are you doing?" Allen pointed an accusing finger at Cross. He blinked at his own words...where did he hear that before?

Cross scowled. "Idiot, go away. I have important matters to discuss with the young lady."

"No! You need to answer my questions first! The piano! The score!"

Allen glared at Cross. Cross scowled at Allen.

...

...

Desdemona sighed. "If there's nothing you wish to talk to me about, I will take my leave." She turned around and started walking away.

"That necklace..."

Desdemona froze.

"Who gave it to you?"

The girl glanced back to Cross. "My mother."

"It's more complicated that you think."

Her eyes narrowed. Does Cross know? About the other half?

Cross studied the girl's face. He glanced at the necklace. "You have been given more than you know, and it is not a pleasant gift. If you should have any problems, come and find me."

The young girl turned and walked away.

Cross and Allen watched as she disappeared out of sight. Allen was about to chase after her, but Cross stopped him.

Allen frowned at Cross. "Master, what was all that about? What were you talking about?"

"Idiot, it's none of your business." The General took a puff from his cigar. "That aside, what did you do to your idiotic face?" He nodded to Allen's swollen cheek.

The boy held a hand to his swollen flesh. "It's none of your business!"

Cross scowled. Brat. "She punched you."

Allen drew back. "H-how did you know?"

The General rolled his eyes. "Idiot apprentice, you can never keep anything from me."

Allen looked down and sulked.

Cross studied the brat's face and suddenly draped a hand over his shoulder. "Hey brat, let me teach you something about women."

Allen glanced at Cross skeptically. Another one of his flirting lessons?

"Deep inside, a woman is always the opposite of what they seem. Weak women are often strong on the inside, and unpleasant women are often very caring." Cross said philosophically. "If you want to get a girl like her," Referring in the direction Dem just went. "you'll have to melt her stoic outer facade. However, that will take a lot of effort, so I don't recommend it if you are not fully committed." He waved his cigar around in exaggerated hand gestures.

Allen flushed. "I DON'T LIKE HER!"

Cross shrugged. "If you say so." He waved a hand dismissively and Allen glared, flustered.

Announced by the sound of boots hitting the floor, two men ran into the corridor from the other end with synchronized footsteps, wearing Central's uniform and large, opaque sunglasses. Both of them saluted to Cross.

"General Cross. You were expected at the meeting that started 30 minutes ago. Sir Rouvelier said if you don't get there right now, he will-"

"Alright, alright!" Cross interrupted with impatience. "I'll go!" He inhaled through his cigar and walked away in the direction the two men came from, escorted by the two men marching in synchronization.

Allen watched in dismay. But he still needs to ask about the piano...

Cross glanced back at Allen. "Just remember, you will only be able to win her if you give her your all!"

The white haired boy glared at Cross. "That's not important! Master, about the Ark! The Piano!"

Cross ignored him and disappeared around the corner.

Allen sighed to himself. He needs answers.

_"If I am a puppet, then be it. I'll be a puppet who lives out the script and makes the script its life."_

Yeah, that's right. It's alright. He'll just take it as it comes. Just as she said.

Wait, Dem!

He ran in the direction the girl went a few minutes ago. He must catch up to her! Or else he'll be stuck here! God knows where he is.

~x.X.x~

Desdemona stared at the ground as she chewed over Cross's words. Given more than she knows? What does that mean? Is there more to it than the other half? But, assuming Cross thought she didn't know about the other half, it would make sense. But what if there's more? How can she find out?

But even before that, how can she find out more about the other half? Admittedly, the best source of information would be from the Innocence itself. However, considering the fact that it hasn't been 'communicating' with her these days, the chance of her getting information out of it was quite slim.

What about Hevlaksa? No, she would tell Komui and that Rouvelier from Central that came a few days ago. She can't have them knowing about it yet. Who knows what the Order will do if they find out. They would obliterate her necklace and make it into a weapon. She can't let them destroy her pendant, it's the only thing left of Bidelia.

But...Bidelia...Why did she give the necklace to her? What has Bidelia got to do with this? Or maybe, the Innocence was always there. Since Bidelia wasn't compatible, she wouldn't have known. Desdemona clutched the pendant. Bidelia loved it, she loved the person who gave it to her. Desdemona loves it too, because she loves Bidelia. Right now, she really hoped Bidelia had nothing to do with this. It's just a coincidence. Just a coincidence.

Footsteps. There was someone running after her. Sounds like Allen.

She turned her head to the side, glancing at the reflection in the window pane, expecting to see the boy's white hair.

However, when she saw it, her heart stopped. It's that shadow. That shadow again. It's watching her, smiling at her.

Allen finally caught up to the girl. He playfully hit her shoulder.

She suddenly turned around, her eyes wide with some mixture of shock, worry and fear. Startled, he blinked and frowned at her. He watched her eyes search his face, she frowned almost painfully.

He stepped back. What was that look in her eyes? She's in pain? What's wrong with her? Is she hurt? Is she about to faint? What to do?

She diverted her eyes to the ground and turned to continue forwards. She's seeing things, isn't she? She glanced at the window pane again. It's still there. It's behind Allen, stalking him like a shadow.

Allen reached out a hand and grabbed the girl's hand. Turning her around, he frowned at her. But to his relief, she was glaring at him. No more pain in her eyes, just glaring. But that's ok, she always glares at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing."

He smiled at her, that's good. He must be imagining things.

She glanced at the window pane again. It's still there. It's not going away. Is she the only one who can see it? No one else said anything about it. Can Allen see it? Not likely...

"Hey, Allen?" She said. "What's that?" She pointed out the window.

Allen followed her finger and looked out the window. But before he could see beyond that, he saw his reflection. It's there. That shadow is still there. He's somehow used to it. No one else can see it. He looked beyond the glass and saw what looked like a flock of birds flying above the trees. "Birds?" He offered.

She watched his face the entire time. It doesn't seem like he could see it either. Maybe she's the only one...

With a sudden burst of enthusiasm, Allen started pulling the girl by the hand and marched forwards. Desdemona trailed behind reluctantly, wondering where he was going.

It was after a while that she realized they were going in circles. They've been through this corridor before. She stopped, pulling him to a halt.

"Just where are you going?" She asked with an unhappy frown.

"I'm hungry! Let's go to the Dining Hall to eat lunch!" He replied happily.

"The Dining Hall isn't this way."

Allen blinked. He looked around and scratched his head innocently. "Um...where are we?"

The girl put her hand to her forehead in dismay. This guy...

Angrily, she stomped in the opposite direction, pulling him along by the hand towards the Dining Hall.

* * *

Desdemona glared at Allen, sitting on the opposite side, in disgust. He's devouring his food as usual, in a bestial manner that features extreme speed, a lack of hygiene and dignity and a large amount of food.

He held his fork like a dagger and stabbed it through the flesh of a freshly roasted octopus. He lifted it to his mouth and sank his teeth into its red flesh. Timcampy instantly flew over, also sinking its small, golden, mechanical teeth into the octopus that was about twice its size.

Desdemona shivered. What's wrong with them?

Lenalee giggled beside her. She glanced at the older girl in helplessness. Being the only civilized one around, she was calmly sipping at her orange juice. She smiled at Desdemona in a knowing way.

She popped a piece of her Gateau Chocolat in her mouth with her fork.

The redhead beside the monster was no better. He was attacking his bowl of ramen, slurping the long noodles with sickening loud sounds. The ends of the ramen flicked everywhere, raining everyone with ramen soup.

Desdemona couldn't stand it anymore. She threw the fork in her hand at Lavi's head. The metal contacted his head with a ting and rebounded off.

"Dem!" Lavi looked up, rubbing his head.

She glared.

At that moment, a shadow blocked the light from the central chandelier of the Dining Hall. She looked up.

A strange man stood at the end of their table. His blonde hair was cut into a straight fringe on his forehead. The rest of his long hair was put into a low plat at the back of his head. His strange eyebrows angled straight up and forked out into two. They sat above his narrow and very serious eyes. Two curious dots were placed between his seriously furrowed brows. His seriousness amplified by his downturned mouth. His black Central uniform was neat and wrinkleless. His hands were formally covered in white, spotless gloves.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Howard Link. I'll be supervising you. I baked some pumpkin pie, please help yourself." He said seriously to Allen.

Between his hands, he held a white paper box. In that paper box sat a pumpkin pie. Cinnamon sticks were arranged in crosses all along the circumference, with intricate raspberries sitting on each of the crosses. A lattice pattern formed by the golden-brown pastry covered the top of the pie. Mint leaves were randomly and yet so artistically sprinkled over this piece of art. Everything about it, everything, made is sparkle under the light of the crystal chandelier.

Allen acted immediately. "Oh! I'll gladly have some!" He said as his fork found its way into the pie. However, before he had the chance to pull the pie out, Lavi stopped him.

"Wait! Allen! He just said he'd be supervising you!" Lavi reminded.

Lenalee slammed her hands on the table and stood up. Desdemona jumped in her seat.

"Supervise? Why do you need to supervise Allen? Who decided this?" Lenalee frowned at Link.

"This was decided in the meeting this morning. Miss Lee." Link replied politely.

Lenalee inhaled. Desdemona pulled on the corner of her shirt, trying to make her sit and calm down.

"I'm going to find my brother!" Lenalee announced before turning and exiting the Dining Hall angrily.

"Wait! Lenalee!" Desdemona stood up. But Lenalee didn't listen. Unable to stop Lenalee from going, Desdemona sat down in defeat. He did say the meeting. Then it would have been decided amongst the Central Representative, the Generals and the Supervisor. The decision can't be altered easily.

"Excuse me Miss Beast. Do you mind if I sit down?" Link gestured to the bench.

Desdemona slid over on the wooden bench and Link sat down on the opposite side of Allen.

"As I have said, I'll be supervising you. This is regarding the 14th."

Allen placed his last plate on his piles. Jerry carried the empty plates away, commending his appetite. Miranda passed Desdemona the paper box of pumpkin pie. She took a piece and placed it on her empty plate that once held the Gateau Chocolat.

"The 14th?" The boy frowned.

Link explained, "The 14th was the Noah that was erased from the Noah clan. The Noah family we knew only had 13 members, but a 14th one was born. Hence the '14th'." The man scanned Allen's face for any hint of recognition, but there was none.

Suddenly, a piece of pumpkin pie on a plate appeared in front of his face. Link blinked. Following the hand, to the arm, to the shoulder, Link's eyes shifted to the girl sitting next to him.

"This, is very good." Desdemona stated.

"Thank you for your compliment." Link replied with a small bow of the head.

"You have a recipe for this?"

Link reached inside his pocket and pulled out a thick book, the size of an encyclopaedia. Lavi and Allen blinked. How did that ever fit into his pocket?

He passed the book to the girl with two hands.

Desdemona read the cover. "**MASTERPIECE SWEETS ANTHOLOGY by Malcolm C. Rouvelier **Central Agency Publishing"

"This is a first edition." Link continued. "Normally it would cost you $30 to purchase. However, as a token of appreciation for your compliment, please take this for free."

Desdemona thanked Link briefly before flipping through the book. Miranda took her pumpkin pie and sat down beside Desdemona, looking on.

Allen smiled. She's still a girl. Turning to Link, he resumed the previous topic. "What does the 14th have to do with you watching over me?"

Link nodded and reached behind him. "Very well. First of all..." He pulled out a pile of paper, not losing in size to those in the science department and in height to Allen's plates. Lavi and Allen craned their necks to unnatural angles to see the top of the pile. "I must go through a series of questions with you. I have prepared them in written form, so if you would be so kind as to fill these forms by tomorrow morning."

"What?" Lavi said in shock, worrying for Allen.

"Er...how many are there?" Allen asked quietly, not too sure if he want to know the answer. He took a wad of the questionnaire and glanced through it. Lavi looked over his shoulder.

"It's packed full...can you really do this in one night?" The redhead asked skeptically.

"It's rather noisy here, so shall we go to the Archive Room?" Link suggested.

"Huh? In the Archive room, until morning?" Allen repeated in despair. What is this?

Link took the upper half of the pile and dumped it into Allen's hands and carried the lower half himself. Leading the way, they headed out of the Dining Hall.

Walking past the girl, Allen leant down. "You going to make any of those?"

Desdemona looked up at him with a what-are-you-talking-about look. "Of course not! I'll make Jerry make it for me!"

Allen blinked and sighed. Of course...though for some reason he had hoped she would cook. Then he might be able to eat it.

But that was not going to happen. The chance of him seeing her cook is about 0.1%. The chance of her allowing him to eat what she has cooked is another 0.1%. In conclusion, the chance of his eating something she has cooked is 0.01%. In other words, impossible. Note the 0.01% chance is when she wants to poison him.

Lavi stood up too. "Then I'll just come with you and read a book!"

However, Link rejected Lavi swiftly. "I would prefer you not to."

Allen chased after Link, who was already at the door. "Hey! I will be able to eat dinner, right? I won't be stuck in there without food, right?"

Desdemona sighed as the two were finally out of sight. Good, peace. Very nice. She returned her gaze on the book. If she sent this book back to Margaret, she might be able to make it for her when she returns. Yep, yep. That's what she'll do.

Jerry came over with a cup of tea. "Where did that young man from central go? Where did he disappear to when I just brought him a cup of tea?"

"From Central?" Miranda asked.

"Yes." Jerry replied. "He's an official from the Administration in charge of the Order."

Lavi unhappily nodded, still unhappy about the fact that Link rejected him. "He's a watchdog they've sent to keep an eye on us."

Miranda tilted her head to the side and blinked. "He's a dog?"

Desdemona finished her pumpkin pie and stretched. She ate too much, she's bloated.

Just then, another man wearing sunglasses and black uniform appeared behind the girl. She sighed. Why are these people everywhere these days?

He saluted. "Miss Beast. General Klaud would like to speak with you."

Desdemona blinked. Master? She wanted to speak to her? The girl left the book with Miranda and followed after the man with sunglasses. They went through the route as Allen and Link had. It was not long before she spotted these two, carrying their paper, heading to the Archiving Room.

She rolled her eyes as she watched the idiot take a wrong turn. He's helpless. Link watched the exorcist and blinked. "The Archive Room is not that way!"

Allen turned cluelessly. "Oh, really?"

Desdemona facepalmed. Seriously?

Sunglasses in front of her suddenly stopped and stood to the side. "Please turn left and enter the second door to the right."

She followed the man's directions, only to see Allen charging into the room where she was supposed to go. It was only a few seconds before a series of chaotic sounds echoed through the corridor, followed by the distinguished voice of Allen screaming at Cross, then she watched as Allen was dragged out of the room by two more Sunglasses and given to Link.

Desdemona sighed as she arrived behind the sulking boy.

"Wait! I need to speak to Master!" Allen screamed in the faces of the two men that threw him out of the room. Their huge forms blocked the doorway, cutting the white haired boy off.

"Miss Beast, what brings you here?" Link asked the girl.

"My Master wishes to speak to me." She replied.

It was then that the idiot realised the girl's existence. "Dem! Why are you here?"

Growing quite impatient and annoyed by the commotion he had caused, Desdemona ignored him and pushed him to the side. "Let me in." She said to the Sunglasses.

Allen watched as the two guards obediently moved to the side, letting the girl in, only to shift back to their original positions after she entered. He doesn't understand, why only him?

The taller of the Sunglasses finally spoke. "You are now under supervision from the Order. As a person related to the 14th."

Desdemona half turned and listened. 14th again. Who is that? But before long, Allen was dragged away by Link, leaving the place peaceful and quiet and nice.

"I SAID TO BUY ME WHITE ROMANÉE-CONTI BOQUETS!"

The girl flinched at the loud noise. She turned.

Cross was sitting on a red couch like a king. General Klaud had her arms and legs crossed, in a fashion that clearly showed she was not amused. Lau was on a pillow next to its Master. There were many Sunglasses around, kneeling on the ground serving Cross wine and grapes, there were also Sunglasses standing behind the General, fanning him with large leaves.

"Ah! The girl's here!" Cross said as he noticed the girl standing at the door. He waved his hand and the Sunglasses all went to stand outside the door.

Lau spotted her and ran over, climbing onto her and sat on her shoulder.

"Hello, Lau." Desdemona smiled.

The monkey flashed its own smile at the girl.

Klaud stood up. Desdemona looked up to the General. "Master."

Without a warning, the older woman grabbed the girl's cheeks and pulled on them. "Idiot! Who told you you could go to China? Who told you you could go to Edo? Who told you you could go fight giant akumas? Who told you you could escape from the Infirmary?"

"Arggh! Marrrsterrr! I'mrrr shorrryyyy!" She attempted to slur out, considering she is unable to close her mouth at the moment. And being pulled on the cheeks really hurts.

"Not to mention you were injured before and then fainted with no sign of life! NO SIGN OF LIFE!" Klaud finally let go of the girl, who rubbed tearily at her swelling cheeks.

"Sorry, alright? I said sorry!" The girl pouted.

Klaud pressed her face close to the girl's and narrowed her eyes, "You brat. Still haven't changed I see. Not even a war can grind down that attitude of yours!"

"Ahem!" Cross coughed loudly and intentionally. "Would you please leave your teary reunions until later. For now, I have limited time to explain."

Klaud and Desdemona turned to the man, walking over with a serious expression. He bent down and flashed a smile. "Hello, so we meet again, young lady."

Desdemona blinked. It was just this morning, wasn't it?

Klaud's eyebrow twitched. "If you so much as to land a finger on my student...!"

Cross instantly stepped back and coughed into his hand. He put down his glass of wine. "I have asked you to come, about the necklace...There is something I'd like to confirm. May I please have a look?"

Desdemona looked to Klaud, the older woman nodded.

The girl sighed. She rarely ever takes it off. Bidelia said to always wear it... She reached behind her neck and unclasped the metal chain. Pulling it off her neck, she handed it to Cross.

The man scrutinised it closely. He turned it in his hand and frowned. Holding it to his palm, a shining white symbol appeared, surrounding the pendant at its centre. Cross closed his eyes.

The pendant gradually lifted and hovered above his palm. Desdemona frowned. Sorcery?

Suddenly, with a bright flash of light, the symbol in Cross's palm disappeared and the pendant fell back into his palm.

"So?" Klaud questioned.

Cross shook his head. "It's definitely sorcery. I knew there was something weird. There's strong protective spell placed on it."

Klaud turned to the girl. "Dem, who gave this to you?"

"My mother," she stopped. The Order doesn't know about anything before the Chapmans, and she doesn't intend for them to know. "Or at least that's what I think. Ever since I remember, I had this necklace."

"Is there anyone who might know your parents?" Klaud asked.

Desdemona shook her head. She's asked this many times. The Order continues to try to pry into her past.

"Who raised you before you became a pickpocket?"

"He's dead, to the best of my knowledge." Desdemona confessed. "I told you I used to work at a circus, but it burned to ground."

"Circus?" Cross suddenly said.

She nodded.

The man laughed at himself. It's a small world, isn't it? Is there no where else for Innocence wielders to gather other than the circus?

"I know I've asked this many times before. But are you sure you can't think of anything else?" Klaud persisted.

Desdemona shook her head.

"Well, that can't be helped." Cross sighed. "In any case, this is far more complicated than I expected. The fact that there is a protective spell in place means there's something worth protecting. This is no ordinary pendant. I can break this protective spell if I have time. Would you mind leaving this with me for a few days?"

The girl shook her head again, even though she was quite uneasy about it. She had never let the pendant be away from her before. Bidelia told her to never take it off. Bidelia said that...

Cross smiled, enclosed his hand over the pendant and slipped it into his pocket. Pulling out a cigarette, the General lit it and glanced at the girl. Her face clearly shows reluctance, but her actions are different. She values this pendant, but she said there's nothing special about it. There's something strange here.

"What exactly is this 'complicated' business you were talking about?" She asked Cross.

"We do suspect it to be related to either the Millennium Earl or..." Klaud started.

"There're only a few people left in this world that is able to perform Sorcery," Cross cut in. "And I can say they aren't nice people. If you do recall anything, please tell Klaud or myself. It will help." He inhaled through his cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. "And also, we will not report this to anyone until we get a solid grasp of what this is. Klaud, I'm sure you don't want your cute student there to be charged with any crime against the Vatican."

General Klaud narrowed her eyes. This can't be helped.

The girl was send out and Cross sat down on the couch again.

Klaud glanced at him. "I don't know what you're planning here, but it concerns my student so I'll cooperate. If you do her any harm, I will not let you off easily. Even so much as to lay a finger on her, I'll rip you to pieces, you pervert." The woman strode out, her pet monkey chased after her.

Cross shrugged. He's stuck in this room, stupid Sunglasses won't let him out. He closed his eyes.

He was supposed to find the key for Neah. The second key. That's what he told him. He thought Allen was the key, but then he found out Allen _is_ Neah. He can't be the key, because when Neah wrote his will, the key already existed. So until now, he still hasn't found the 'Key'.

Cross reached into his pocket and clutched pendant. Protective spell huh? There's a chance. His long search might have come to an end.

The man exhaled and looked up to the ceiling. Maybe it's just imagination, but why does that girl look so much like another woman he used to know?

* * *

"_Thank you so much for today, Neah." Bidelia smiled at the gentleman as they stood before the Vaughan family's great mansion. Neah had brought her home as planned._

_"I am the one who needs to thank you." Neah replied courteously._

_After bidding their farewells, Bidelia headed into her house while Neah climbed the carriage behind him. It soon brought him back to the small house. He paid the driver away and walked down the street._

_Further down the street was a small family-owned fruit stall. An old couple sat behind the counter and smiled as Neah approached. "Ah! Mr. Walker! Are you finished with your beautiful girlfriend?" the old woman teased._

_"Well, yes. And thank you for lending me your house so generously." Neah smiled._

_"No problem, young lad!" the old man raised a thumb at Neah. "Your problem is our problem! Since you helped us so much before!"_

_Neah took out the keys and placed them on the counter. "Thank you again for today. I need to get going now."_

_The old couple waved Neah goodbye before stopping him and offering him an apple, to which he accepted gratefully. As he walked away, he played the hated tune inside his head._

_Destroy the gate..._

_The old woman watched as the young man disappeared into the crowd before standing up and grabbing the keys off the counter. "Hey, hubby. I'll head home and use the bathroom. I'll grab your coat, since it's getting cool."_

_The old man nodded._

_She walked down the street and arrived before the small and warm house. Habitually, she opened the door with her keys and immediately placed them on the shoe cupboard next to the door. She walked over to the bottom of the stairs and pushed open the door._

_The all too familiar white tiled walls and floor, the white framed window with lace curtains hanging. The bathtub, the toilet, the hand basin. _

_Nothing beats the comfort of one's own bathroom at the most needy times._

* * *

I apologise again for the lateness. I'm lacking in time. Someone sell me time! Someone!

You know what? I think I'll need a Beta with time. That saves me with all the grammar editing and spell checks. I am looking for a reliable person that is efficient. I don't ask for much, just proof read for any grammar mistakes and spelling errors. Someone! Please help me! TAT TAT TAT

OTL

Anyhow, a Review will always get me motivated!

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	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader Miss Tiger, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

I have formatting problems you see, I confuse myself too much, so here's a format overview:

_Italic and underline is the 'Other Half' talking_

_**Italic and Bold is Dem talking to the 'Other Half' in her head.**_

_Italic only can be thoughts, words written somewhere that needs to be described or voices in people's heads or Dem's strange knowledge pool. I don't even know when to use italics anymore. OTL_

__Btw, you can follow me on Twitter, my name is Kavilene.

* * *

The Millennium Earl sat at the head of a long table. He smiled, as he always smiled. It has been a while since he had a family reunion with so many members present.

"I have called you all here for an important matter ~ 3" The Earl began. "My precious Egg has been stolen. ~3 Someone needs to go get it back for me."

Lulu Bell sat on the ground next to the Earl in her cat form. She quickly nudged at her Master with her head. "Meow~!" Lulu Bell meowed.

"Oh, thank you dear! Take as many Akuma as you want ~ 3. I'll be relying on you, my dear!"

The cat stood up and paced gracefully out the door, the bell at its neck rang with every step it took.

"Take some skulls too! We need new skulls! Bye bye~ 3!" The Earl waved happily.

After a while, Tyki broke the silence. "Hey, Earl."

The Earl turned to Tyki, sitting to his right. The man pulled out a card from his pocket. "I have erased most of the people listed here, as you have said." Tyki gave the card to the Earl, "Except for these two."

The Earl glanced at the clown-like golem jailed in the card. It stood up and pointed to two names. The Earl blinked.

_Allen Walker…_

Of course.

And there was another name. The other name…_Mony…_

"I was supposed to kill anyone related to the 14th and Mana, right? But now, we have found the key. Allen Walker must be the key in the 14th's will. And this 'Mony' girl…I can't find her anywhere. And with just a first name, it's not easy, Earl."

"I know, I know, dear Tyki. 3" The Earl nodded apologetically as he slipped the card into the pocket of his coat. He stood up and headed for the door.

"Millenie! Where are you going?" Road asked, swinging her legs playfully.

"Keep eating, my dears. It's been a while since we've had a family reunion like this. I'll just go sort out some businesses. 3"

"Come back quickly!"

The Earl nodded and stepped through the door.

He arrived at another dark, warped space. An old, wooden rocking chair sat at the centre with balls of wool surrounding it.

"You called for me, Master." A voice said from the darkness. Soon, a pair of glowing eyes appeared. The owner of the eyes stepped into the light, towards the Earl.

"Ah, hello." The Earl glanced at the young man. His head of short, black hair was neatly groomed; his handsome face of Eurasian decent was clean; the spotless white dress shirt and the black pants were without a single wrinkle, and his pair of black boots was free of dust. Perfect, as always.

The young man bowed.

The Earl and passed the card to the young man. "Find her."

The young man looked into the cell. On the wall, there were two names. Allen Walker... and ...

Mony.

She's still alive?

Well, that's good. It's time to visit her, after so long.

How long was it since he last saw her?

* * *

"No! I don't want to eat that!" Desdemona screamed.

Lavi and Allen ganged up on her. Allen was holding her down, Lavi was about to stick some disgustingly healthy-looking salad into her mouth. Link was sitting calmly, drinking tea with Bookman.

"Dem! You have to eat vegetables!" Allen insisted behind her.

"No! Let go of me you pervert!" The girl struggled, but he was too strong.

"This is for your own good!" Lavi said. In his hand, he held the salad. The girl watched in doom as the green thing neared her face.

To protect herself, she kicked Lavi in the crotch, hard. The redhead dropped the salad and rolled on the floor in pain. "Ow!"

She felt Allen flinch behind her but he's not loosening his grip on her. "Lavi! Are you alright?"

Lavi still knelt on the floor, he raised a hand weakly. "Dem...If I can't have kids in the future, it's your fault."

"Good! I just saved the world from the existence of yet another idiot, or possibly a few idiots." She said coldly.

"Dem!" Allen said accusingly.

The girl inhaled angrily. She attempted to elbow the boy in the ribs, but was ineffective as he held her elbow. She merely brushed her arm against his black vest. She's getting irritated, because other than immobilising her, the black and red striped ribbon at his neck fell into the collar of her white shirt, tickling her back.

None of them wore their uniform coat. Who bothers inside Headquarters?

She struggled even more, successfully whipping him in the face with her hair. He tightened his grip, displeased. She slapped him more with her hair. He only tightened his grip more.

"If..." Lavi said weakly, still pointing a finger at the girl, "If I had my Innocence..."

"Well, you don't." The girl cut in immediately. "For your information, it is currently with Komui, being repaired after you made it crumble to dust. So anything you say is just wishful thinking. Wishful thinking is not worth my time, so shut up."

"Dem, how can you be so rude?" Allen stood up for Lavi. "You should be more-"

Suddenly, Allen tensed. The girl felt it. His grip grew even tighter, hurting her.

She turned around slightly, glancing at his face. He was dazed, focused on something else entirely. He was frowning...

She jumped as his left eye suddenly activated right in front of her face. His pupil turned red and the white part turned black. A suspended gear-shaped lens appeared over his eye. She blinked. She's heard about his eye before, it evolved. The last time she saw it was in Martel. It changed, a lot.

Wait...his eye activated...

_Akuma!_

Allen finally let go of her. He moved quickly, jumping over the railing and started running down the corridor. Desdemona followed quickly. Lavi clambered to his feet.

"What's wrong?" The redhead asked.

"Akuma!"

Link and Bookman jumped up too, running after Allen and Desdemona with the lagging Lavi.

"Where?" Desdemona asked.

"I'm picking up a large number of signals from the lab Reever's in!"

"How?" Lavi questioned. "That amount of Akuma should have triggered the alarms!"

"The Ark." The girl answered. "It happened in Asia Branch too. The Earl's Ark was capable of even trespassing Asia Branch's guardian deity."

Bookman and Lavi glanced at each other. Link looked down in thought.

Soon, they arrived before the arched entrance to the lab. A solid, black material blocked the passage. At the edges, the black material extended like vines over the wall.

Lavi grabbed a chair nearby and smashed it against the material. It was useless.

"Lavi! Get out of the way!" Allen warned.

The redhead jumped to the side. The three other exorcists activated their Innocence. Allen's arm transformed into a claw; the white shawl hung at his shoulders. Bookman's needles were floating. Desdemona was holding a spiky Thora.

The three struck in unison. A cloud of dust rose as the concrete ground beneath them crumbled under the impact.

They frowned as the cloud of dust cleared. Not a single scratch...

Allen panicked. "What do we do? They're after the Egg!" He paced aimlessly around. "Reever...and the others are inside! I have to find a way in!"

"Allen, calm down." Desdemona said, returning her whip to her belt.

"I CAN'T!" The boy stopped in front of the girl and screamed in her face.

She glared at him.

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM! THEY ARE IN DANGER! I HAVE TO GET IN! YOU MIGHT NOT CARE BUT I DO!"

She was about to punch him in the face. She really, really wanted to. He needs to clear his head, or better, fall unconscious so he can shut up.

But before she could, Link grabbed Allen's shoulders and pulled him out of her attack range. "I have a way, follow me." He turned and headed left. The others followed, but Desdemona hesitated. She touched her whip.

She tried to activate to Level 3 just then, why won't it work?

It wasn't responding.

It won't activate Level 3.

What's wrong?

_Find me_.

The girl blinked. That voice. It's been a while since she heard it.

_Find me_.

"Dem!" Lavi called.

She snapped out of her thoughts and followed after them.

_Find me_.

Link led them to Lab 2, where the Gate of the Ark stood.

"Walker! Use the Ark!" Link commanded.

Allen ran past the scientists around the Gate and disappeared through the white panel. Desdemona frowned. Go die.

Lavi was about to follow, but Link stopped him. Turning to Bookman and the girl, he nodded. "You two go on with Walker. Since I am not an exorcist and Lavi does not have his Innocence, we will be useless in there. We'll report the Akuma to the Chief. Go in first, help will come."

Bookman followed after Allen into the Ark. Desdemona walked in reluctantly. She should go get her necklace, shouldn't she?

But...the idiot... She glanced behind. Screw the necklace. She can't have the idiot dying; she still needs to punch him in the face for screaming at her.

She went through the door. The familiar white town greeted her. She spotted the white-haired boy and followed after him.

Allen barged into the piano room. He started playing immediately.

Desdemona froze at the door.

What?

How?

Why?

This song...isn't this song...

_Bidelia's song._

The song Bidelia taught her. How come Allen knows how to play this song? She's sure it's not a common song. How? Why? Why is Bidelia's song the song to operate the Ark? Why?

_So the little infant fell into a deep sleep._

_Among the grey ashes in the flames shining...First one, then two..._

_Surfaces numerous of your faces..._

Desdemona shook her head. Someone's singing in her head. Just like back in Edo, when the Ark disappeared and then reappeared. Who is singing? Who?

_Gate 4 opened._

_..._ _I will still continue to pray._

The song ended. Desdemona pulled open the door and ran out.

_Gate 4..._

Allen followed behind her. "Dem! Wait! You don't even know which gate-!"

"Four!" She replied swiftly.

Allen blinked. "H-how did you know?"

Her eyes widened. That's right, she's not supposed to know. How come she does? "Shut up! I-I guessed!"

"That's a very good guess!" Allen said in awe. "And how come you know Gate 4 is this way?"

"I don't know! I just ran out of that room. Up until now, it's only one straight path!"

"Oh...right." The boy repeated quietly.

"You youngsters stop chatting!" Bookman commanded. "Walker, where to go at the next crossroad?"

_Go left, the third door to the right._ Desdemona slowed herself down, allowing Allen to run in front of her.

"Go left! The third door to the right is Gate 4!"

The girl frowned at herself. Why? Why does she know? Is it the other half? It's telling her...right?

But wait, no. The other half 'talks' to her in Bidelia's voice. These information was not 'told' to her. She just knew. There's no voice...is it really the other half?

The white-haired exorcist arrived before the said door. He activated his Innocence, pulling his arm out. The large sword appeared and the boy barged through the door. Bookman entered next, his Heavenly Compass ready.

Desdemona followed closely behind. Thora activated to Level 2, Speed type – Blade whip.

Once she exited the Ark, the sight that greeted her was appalling. There was a huge swarm of Akuma, so many that the entire Lab was filled. She glanced to the side. There she saw limp forms of many scientists lined up strangely but neatly in rows on the floor. There was blood everywhere and some of them were crushed in the head. Three skulls were standing there, going through the scientists one by one, as if examining them.

Allen stood on his sword, stuck into the corpse of a skull that was sliced in half.

Reever sat, frozen on the ground next to the corpse.

She landed on the ground, next to Bookman.

"AARGHH!" Desdemona flinched as the scream of another scientist echoed in the Akuma-filled lab. His head was crushed and blood spurted everywhere. The skulls then moved on to the next one.

Allen pulled his sword out of the ground and landed behind her. "I'm putting a stop to this!" He exclaimed.

She inhaled, and exhaled. Remember, she must kill Akuma. She cannot kill an exorcist. Akuma are the ones to kill, not exorcist.

She looked back at the Akuma but froze.

She…she can see something. She saw something grotesque coming out from above all the Akuma. Something that looked like a person...more like a skeleton...or is it a heavily mutilated person? It's in pain...chained to the body of the Akuma…it's floating above the Akuma.

"What's that?" She asked quietly, but knowing Allen would hear her.

Allen glanced at the girl. He quickly inhaled and covered his left eye. Ever since his eye evolved, other people can see Akuma souls if they stood close to him...But he didn't want her to see it. Such a horrible sight, he didn't want her to see it. He was careless. "That's...the soul of an Akuma." He looked down.

She narrowed her eyes. That's the soul? Allen can see it so he could tell Akuma apart. Now can he let other people see it too? She glanced at the souls again. They are disgusting. Imagine seeing these things all the time.

"A-are you ok?"

"Huh?" She glanced back, puzzled by his words.

"Sorry."

"You're not making sense. Talk later."

The three exorcists moved at once. Allen, Bookman and Desdemona jumped in different directions. The white-haired exorcist dashed, the Akuma he passed all froze as white, shining crosses appeared on their body. They soon disintegrated to dust. Bookman jumped into the air, raining black needles on the Akuma below. They too disintegrated to dust.

Desdemona kicked off her heels. She swung her arm around. The Akuma stepped back to dodge the short-ranged sword. However, with a flick of the wrist, the sword broke into sections, extending its range. Many Akuma disappeared.

Allen sliced two more Akuma in half, but unknown to him and visible to Bookman and Desdemona, a Level 3 floated above the boy. Its hands were shining, preparing an attack from the sky.

Bookman manoeuvred his needles into a moving platform, headed for Allen. "Boy! Jump on!"

Allen jumped onto the platform, it successfully moved the boy out of the Akuma's attack.

"Bookman! Here!" The girl called out.

The platform moved quickly towards the girl, Allen held out a hand, grabbing the girl and pulling her on.

The needles flew upwards, towards the ceiling. Allen didn't know how, but she climbed onto his shoulders. When it was high enough, the girl pushed off Allen's shoulders, taking herself even higher. Ouch, his shoulders. He's human too, must she use that much strength?

The platform inverted. Allen saw that he was now above the Akuma that tried to attack him. Allen pushed himself off the platform and swiftly sliced the Akuma in half.

"Move!" Allen looked up. Desdemona knelt upside-down on the ceiling using the momentum of her rise. The white-haired boy obeyed and jumped out of the way.

_Power Type_

The blade in her hand transformed into a thick, spiked whip. She twisted her upper body and pushed hard off the ceiling. Spinning the other way, the whip whirled around her, becoming her shield as well as creating a great air current that resembled a cyclone.

The cyclone hit the ground with a great force. The spinning motion lifted up the concrete on the floor. The debris spun with the air current, adding a greater abrasive power to her attack.

The cyclone moved across the lab, dragging Akuma both on the ground and in the air into the cyclone, wiping out a heap of Akuma.

Allen blinked. She's so strong. He has never seen that before…

Desdemona frowned. She tried again, activating Level 3 Thunder Rage...it didn't work.

_Find me. Come find me._

_**Shut up! Wait! I can't leave him!**_

At the centre of the Lab, Lulu Bell turned to the chaos caused by the intruding exorcists. She then glanced at the Egg. "We'll withdraw once the Egg has been safely placed in the Ark. Akuma, keep the exorcists occupied."

Desdemona landed beside Bookman and Allen, both of them continued to take out Akuma. There was far, far too many of them.

All of a sudden, the remaining Akuma all charged at them at once. At the same time, the ground shook. The exorcists balanced themselves and glanced at the Egg. They widened their eyes. Beneath the Egg, something that looked like the Ark's gate opened...only this one was black.

Desdemona couldn't worry about anyone else. She's not good at being surrounded by a clump of Akuma like Allen, close range is not her strength, especially without Level 3. She looked up and smiled.

Allen heard an Akuma charging at him from behind. Wait, wasn't Dem behind him? He pivoted on his feet and tried to grab the girl to pull her out of the way. When he turned, he blinked. She's not here. He held out his sword, blocking the charging Akuma and slicing it in half. He looked around, she's not anywhere. His mind was full of other things, but for some reason, it still had enough free space to worry about her. He never knew his mind had that much free space, because his worry gradually turned into fear.

Where is she?

She's scaring him…where?

Another Akuma came at Bookman and Allen from above. The two of them dodged in different directions, separating from each other.

"AARRRRRRRRGHH!"

Allen turned to the screaming. The skulls, they are continuously killing more and more scientists, some of them have turned into skulls themselves. Allen couldn't take it anymore. He slashed through the clump of Akuma, charging at the skulls. As his field of vision extended, he saw that the Egg was already halfway into the Gate.

This isn't good. He mustn't let the Egg be taken.

He mustn't let more people get killed.

He must destroy all the Akuma here.

He must stop that Noah.

He swung his sword at the skulls. Several faster Akuma suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his sword. They pushed him back into the Akuma cloud and crashed into a pipeline against the wall on a higher ledge. He gasped as the impact knocked the air out of his lungs. Akuma started charging at him again.

_Clown Belt!_

White belts formed from his cowl and pierced the Akuma around him. They turned to dust. Allen knelt on the floor, getting his breath back. There's no time. He must hurry. A shadow appeared over him and from his right, another Akuma appeared. Its large claw grabbed Allen's head in a vice-like grip.

He prepared to swing his sword at the Akuma…but it might not be in time.

Unexpectedly, Allen felt the Akuma's claw letting go of his head. He jumped away at the chance. Looking back, the Akuma was penetrated by Bookman's black needles.

"Did I make it, Kid?" Bookman said from below.

"Thanks Bookman." Allen stood up from his crouching position. He glanced over at the older man, he froze.

Bookman was backed against the wall, surrounded by Akuma on all sides. There was something grey growing over his body...or rather, he looked like he was gradually turning into stone. An Akuma's ability!

Allen charged over towards Bookman at once. "Bookman!" Too focused on his comrade, he didn't see a large Akuma coming at him from the side. The large head of the Akuma crashed into Allen from the side. Allen tried to block it with his sword.

The Akuma opened its mouth and a dark symbol appeared. Some kind of force field pushed Allen backwards. At the same time, many other Level 3 Akuma, at least six, surrounded him and immobilised him. An Akuma punched the exorcist hard in the stomach. Allen felt his strength draining, his consciousness is slipping...

Desdemona jumped around happily. None of the slow and stupid machines could even see her, let alone know what killed them. Sinking Thora into another Level 1, she quickly jumped from its round body and it exploded. She picked on her next target, a fresh Level 2 with wings floating around. She landed on its shoulders, the blade whip wrapped around its neck. It reacted slightly but Desdemona was too quick for it. She jumped off its shoulders, tightening the blade whip and decapitating the Akuma.

When they were surrounded before, Desdemona took the chance to jump through an opening straight above them. Using the lightness of her now weightless feet, she quickly elevated, stepping on some airborne Akuma to take her higher. Soon, she was above the Akuma, none of them noticed. She smiled, this is wonderful. The Level 2s and Level 3s are mostly at the bottom, attacking ferociously. At the top is where the useless Level 1s dwell and a few occasional Level 2s that just evolved and have not grasped their own powers yet.

For the past few minutes, she was obliterating a heap of Level 1s and now there's barely any left.

She landed on another Level 1 and stabbed her blade into it. That was when she glanced down. The Egg, the Egg was almost completely swallowed by the Ark, only the tip of the frame around the Egg can be seen now. But more importantly, she saw the Noah. In front of her, there were a clump of Level 3s, surrounding something. She looked closer and froze. White hair, a mask, white cowl and a white sword.

Allen.

She pulled Thora out of the Akuma and pushed off its round body towards the Noah.

Idiot. She already told him before, long before. Don't act on impulse, don't try to save anyone, stay alive.

Why the hell does she even bother saving him?

She poised herself and held Thora ready as she neared the Noah. As she planned, she did it as quietly as possible and as fast as possible. However, just a few metres before the girl reached the Noah, the Noah noticed her.

She tightened her jaws. If she's noticed, it's not good. She can't stop herself either. Whatever, just attack.

She brought the sword in her hand down on the Noah. With the added momentum of her descend from above, aided by gravity, she felt herself that her strike was pretty powerful. She also knew that from the ground beneath the Noah's feet cracking and rising up as a dust cloud.

But the sensation was weird, the sound was weird too. Rather than feeling like she was cutting flesh, she felt Thora hit something hard, like metal.

Allen fought with his consciousness. What's happening? Lulu Bell was suddenly engulfed in a dust cloud. Allen didn't even see anything.

Without even waiting for the dust cloud to clear, Desdemona pushed even harder down on the hard thing that she hit. As expected, it repelled her. Using that repelling force, the girl pushed herself out of the cloud and landed a few metres away.

She caught the boy's eyes for a second. Her mind was not so quick to process that look on his face...shock and fear? Alarm?

No. It's warning. He's warning her.

She spun around quickly, guarding herself with Thora. A hundredth of a second later, something came in contact with her weapon. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out again. She felt the impact through her arm. She glanced down, a metallic blade, an extension of the arm of a Level 3 Akuma. Looking up, she saw the Level 3 grinning down at her. "Ah, girl, got quite a good reflex, huh? Heheheh!"

She broke a cold sweat. If she didn't block it in time, by now she would have been in two.

Damn, Allen saved her. Now she owes him. She hates owing people. She hates debts.

Using the other hand, the Akuma took a swipe at the girl from below. Desdemona saw it and jumped up, flipping herself over and above the Akuma.

But she was too careless, in midair, something grabbed her ankle and brought her higher into the air. She looked up, another Level 3.

The Level 3 beneath her charged upwards, the girl quickly changed Thora back to the extendable black whip. She swiftly struck out and Thora wrapped around the neck of the Akuma above. Retracting the black whip, she pulled herself up. Using the momentum, she planted a free foot in the face of the Akuma. The Akuma fell backwards and floated horizontally in midair, which was what the girl wanted – for it to become her shield. But it still didn't let go of her.

The Akuma from below cannot stop itself from attacking. It crashed straight into the back of the top Akuma. It was then that the girl was released, but the force of the impact travelled through the Akuma and threw her back into the Akuma swarm at the centre of the lab.

"I was wondering where the third exorcist went." Lulu Bell said quietly, dusting her coat.

Another Akuma appeared behind the Noah. "Hehe. Master Noah. The Egg's transfer is almost complete."

Lulu Bell glanced at the Egg, satisfied with its progress. "We'll now withdraw. Tell the skulls to start packing up." She looked over to the white-haired boy.

Allen gritted his teeth. Hope Dem's ok. But he's not in a position to worry about her now. He tightened his weak grip on the sword in his hand. Lulu Bell noticed and struck out a hand. Allen felt something hit across his face really hard. He felt blood rush to his mouth. His sight slowly faded as he lost his battle with his consciousness.

"Take him with us, the key of the 14th." Lulu Bell instructed. "And kill the rest."

Desdemona heard the Noah. She glanced over and saw Allen's limp form from in between a gap in the bodies of Akuma. She charged, hoping her short-lived speed will take her out. However, the previous two found her again. One launched a fist in her face and another aimed a kick at her legs. She jumped, but miscalculation the position of the Akuma's fist, the fist that was aimed at her face landed in her stomach. She was sent flying again, this time she crashed into the wall. Liquid rushed up from her chest into her throat and she coughed, blood trickled out from the corner of her mouth.

She won't make it in time.

Stupid Allen, wake up!

She glared at the two Akuma advancing slowly at her with their hideous grins. She doesn't have time! She doesn't have time to deal with them!

To her surprise, the Akuma suddenly sprung back as if pushed by some sort of an invisible force. Desdemona blinked and looked around closer. Though quite invisible, the way of which it refracted light into rainbow colours marked the presence of a barrier. Desdemona looked to the side, Bak and a few still mobile scientists were holding a talisman. On the other side, Reever and Johnny held another.

Bookman had a barrier around him too. Allen too, which stopped the Akuma from dragging him into the Gate.

"You think we would just let you take him away? Don't look down on the Science Department!" Reever announced.

A Level 3 charged at the Section Chief, but it was kept out by the barrier.

"Allen! You are being abducted! Wake up!" Bak called from the side.

"The makeshift talismans won't last much longer! ALLEN! GET UP!" Johnny screamed.

Desdemona frowned to herself. She's useless if she can only use Thora at Level 2. She can't leave because of the situation here; she can't go get the necklace.

_Wait, I'm coming._

What?

_Shing~!_

The girl glanced over to the white-haired boy. The white cowl reappeared over his shoulders, it sliced through the two Akuma holding Allen and the Akuma exploded. Allen straightened up slightly and smiled at Desdemona. She rolled her eyes and turned away. Allen then turned to Johnny and gave a smile. "Thanks, Johnny."

The scientist had water flowing from his eyes and nose. "Allen…"

The exorcist fell slightly, landing directly on the tip of the Egg that's gradually sinking. The barrier's gone.

_I'm here!_

Desdemona looked up towards the white gate of the Ark floating near the ceiling. Black forms jumped out.

The girl smiled. The backup Link and Lavi went to get is here.

"Time Record, Activate!" Miranda and Marie arrived. The female sat on the male's shoulder as he used this Innocence to swing into the battlefield. White, circular orbits with spherical globes appeared around Miranda and her Time Record. Correspondingly, the same patterns appeared around Allen and the gate beneath him.

"Target encircled! Reverse!"

Allen glanced down as he felt he was being lifted up. The small surface of the tip of the Egg that he was standing on elevated quickly. Soon, more than half of the Egg was above the surface.

"Ah! The Ark was a smooth ride!" General Tiedoll appeared behind Allen, standing on the frame of the Egg. Allen glanced beneath. The three Generals have all arrived. He was relieved.

"Now, let's hear how you intend to escape, Akuma!" General Sokaro smirked as he jumped straight into battle. Aiming for one of the largest Akuma, he activated his Innocence and sliced it to pieces. "COME!"

Allen kicked away the Akuma in front of Reever, who protected an immobile Bookman with the barrier. He brought his sword down on the Akuma.

_Here!_

Desdemona felt it. She can feel it through Thora. It's…it's behind her. Behind her…

She glanced back.

It's there! Cross…it's in Cross's breast pocket!

"GEGEGEGEGE! The General's are here! Gather! DEFEAT THEM!" The Akuma screeched.

All Akuma started gathering around a glowing symbol and they merged into one giant Akuma. The giant Akuma roared and launched an attack on the remaining scientists lined up on the floor.

"Maker of Eden! Embracing Garden!"

General Tiedoll hammered his Innocence into the ground. Immediately, thousands of white vines with thorns crawled out from beneath the piece of concrete he was standing on. The vines covered over the scientists lying on the ground. Once the vines were secured, a field of white roses bloomed over the vines.

The Akuma's attack shook the lab, but when the smoke cleared, General Tiedol's defence was not broken.

General Klaud landed on the vines. "Sorry, but you'll have to take care of the scientists, Froi."

General Tiedoll sat down on the concrete he was on. "No problem! The two of you would be plenty!"

Klaud smirked. "That is if someone hasn't gotten rusty."

Cross pulled out Judgement. "Who, me?"

Cross blinked as Desdemona suddenly appeared in front of Cross. Where did she come from?

She held out a hand.

Cross glanced down.

"May I please have my necklace back, General Cross?"

The General narrowed his eyes for a split second before smiling sweetly. "Oh, I'm sorry. It appears I have left it in my room. I wouldn't bring the young lady's treasured possession to such a dangerous battlefield, after all." He smiled.

"General Cross. It is in your breast pocket, isn't it? Have you forgotten?" Desdemona persisted.

The man widened his eyes. What? How did? He recovered quickly with another smooth smile. "Oh my! It seems so too!" The General reached into his coat, drew out the girl's necklace and placed it into her outstretched hand.

Quickly, the girl unclasped the gold chain and put it around her neck.

_Level 3, Thunder Rage._

According to her wish, the green glow of Thora turned blue and it crackled with electricity. The feeling of power urging from her weapon was familiar. Yes, she has activated Level 3.

Smiling to herself, she turned and jumped into a clump of Akuma around the immobilised Bookman and Reever. Successfully locating the white-haired boy, she landed on his shoulders.

Allen struggled; an Akuma seemed to have landed on his shoulders. He spun around, trying to shake off the Akuma.

Using Allen's spinning motion, Desdemona flicked her wrist and the blade whip extended, slicing through the many Akuma. The blue electricity passed from Thora to the Akuma, which then was passed into the Akuma in contact with the initial Akuma. Her attack spread like a virus and soon, they all turned to dust.

Allen blinked. The Akuma just…evaporated?

Then what's on his shoulder?

Desdemona jumped down.

"Dem!"

She turned around to face the white haired boy.

"How did you do that?" His eyes were wide with awe.

She smirked. Yes, bow down at her power, be awed by her strength.

Reever ran over and tried to pry the solidified Bookman down from the wall. The Akuma's power has ceased to affect the man and the bits of him that has turned to rock will soon return to normal, but as of now, he's still immobile.

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The two turned to see General Sokaro showering in Akuma blood. Along with General Klaud and General Cross, the three of them destroyed the giant Akuma in an instant. It was separated into huge bits, its remains laid on the floor, deteriorating. Even the Level 3s that did not merge with the rest are falling and becoming dust. In such a short amount of time, the Akuma they were having such trouble defeating were obliterated by the three generals.

Desdemona sighed. Completely different level.

"They are on a completely different level to us, aren't they?" Allen commented.

She glanced over at him briefly.

"What?" He blinked.

"Nothing." She turned away from him. Returning Thora to the form of the black whip, she flicked her wrist and it wrapped around Bookman on the wall. Reever, who was chiselling with some sort of a screwdriver, stood back.

Desdemona pulled hard, willing for Thora to retract at the same time. Swiftly, Bookman was pulled off the wall…only quite a large piece of the wall came off with him. She sighed and started dragging Bookman and the wall towards the injured scientists gathering at the centre around Bak.

"Miss Beast, please be careful of my hair! My hair!" Bookman said through his half-immobilised lips.

Allen followed and sweatdropped. Is that what Bookman thinks about at a time like this?

Around them, gas leaked from the remains of the Akuma. The white fumes made it hard to see.

Marie and Miranda also arrived. At the sight of Allen, Desdemona and Bookman, Marie stretched out a hand with 3 gold transmitters. "The Supervisor told me to bring them for you guys."

Desdemona took one and pushed the sharp hook into her recently pierced earlobe. It hung from her ear as it did before. Allen did the same.

Marie tapped on his, appearing beneath his headphones. "Command Centre, do you copy? This is Marie in Lab 5. All the Akuma have been stopped."

"Can it get through?" Miranda asked, still with Time Record activated on the Egg.

"It's should." Allen answered.

"This is Lab 5, Command Centre, do you copy?" Marie tried again.

"_This is the Command Centre. We can hear you. Report on the current status inside._"

The familiar voice of Komui replied. His voice brought relief more than anything else.

Reever supported a heavily limping scientist and headed for the gathered group. Allen went to help. The scientists around them started choking on the gas and coughed.

"There are 10 scientists heavily injured. The Akuma remains are emitting a large amount of gas, both our sight and hearing are badly affected." Marie recounted.

"_We'll turn up the ventilation right away._"

Allen bent down to lower the scientist to the ground. Just then, his left eye reactivated. He could pick up the faint presence of a living Akuma, but the presence is too weak to tell.

Desdemona released Thora from Bookman and some other scientists started chiselling at him with more screw drivers, spanners and hammers.

She was about to take a deep breath, but the fumes were choking her. She coughed and placed a hand over her mouth. That's right, these fumes are poisonous.

"These fumes are poisonous." A white cowl appeared in front of her eyes as Allen placed an arm around her, trying to shield her from the gas.

She glared at him and pushed his arm away, but he insisted and pulled her in even tighter.

She frowned, why is his eye still activated? Maybe it's just like that. "Aren't you too carefree?"

He shrugged. "My body's resistant to Akuma poison, so I'm fine."

"I hope you choke to death." She said sincerely.

"I humbly ask for your presence at my funeral." Allen replied with equal sincerity.

She pouted and looked away.

"Chief Reever, all of you should retreat to higher grounds." Allen suggested, still holding onto her.

"I'm fine, the rest of you head upstairs." Reever replied. "Some of the scientists they altered are being taken inside the gate, I must stop them."

"I can-" Allen started, but was cut off by Reever.

"They are _my_ comrades. _I_ will save them. You guys go help the Generals. They are planning to destroy the Egg."

Klaud, Cross, Sokaro, Marie and Miranda stood around the Egg.

"We'll have to destroy it in one go between the time frame of Miranda releasing her Innocence and the Egg entering completely into the Ark." Klaud explained.

"The only ones that can destroy in one strike are myself, Klaud and Sokaro…But even so, I can't guarantee it will work." Cross added.

"HA! AS IF I'LL LET THE EARL HAVE HIS PRECIOUS EGG!" Sokaro smirked.

"Whenever you're ready, Miranda." Cross nodded to the female exorcist.

"Y-yes sir." Miranda exhaled.

A puddle of water at her feet shot up and engulfed Miranda. Marie tried to grab Miranda, but he was too slow. The water moved upwards, carrying Miranda within it. Miranda held her throat, there's no air.

Marie activated his Innocence, extending the strings on his fingers to grab onto the moving water, but since it was liquid, Marie's attempts were useless.

The water landed on top of the Ark.

"The Noah of 'Form'!" Cross smirked. "She can transform herself into anything.'

Almost as if proving Cross right, the water took on the shape of something that looked like a cross between a woman and a lizard. "You have a most bothersome ability, lady…" It said. "Deactivate your Innocence!"

Allen and Desdemona heard sound coming from the Egg. They saw the water creature above the Egg and Miranda trapped inside of it.

"Miranda!" Allen let go of the girl, who launched herself instantly in the direction of the Egg.

"Go, Allen. Don't worry about us." Reever nodded.

"Yeah! Allen! Don't look down on the Science Department!" Johnny added.

The white-haired boy smiled.

The exorcists around the Egg jumped away as the concrete ground they were standing on before started sinking into the gate. The Egg, too, started to quickly enter into the Ark.

"Miranda deactivated her Innocence!" Marie exclaimed.

"Don't even think you'd succeed!" Sokaro swung his arm and released his Innocence. The blade spun towards the Noah but the attack was ineffective against water.

"Lau Shimin! Destroy the Egg!" Klaud rode on Lau's shoulder. The large beast charged at the Noah with a roar.

"I won't let you!" Lulu Bell positioned herself. Extending many tentacles around her, she blocked most of the beast's attacks.

"Judgement!" Cross held his Innocence that was glowing strongly. "Arrow of Original Sin!" The General pulled his other arm back and a large bow shaped like a lion's head appeared. He pulled the trigger and a bright light approached the Egg. Upon contact, cracks appeared all over the Egg's surface.

Desdemona jumped above the Noah. Flipping herself around, she saw Miranda. She extended her whip, trying to grab Miranda but failed as the skin of the Noah turned metallic. She landed on the ground out of the reach of the gate. Allen arrived beside her.

She glanced back at the Egg. The Generals kept the Noah well occupied. The Egg was smoking, with holes and cracks all over. But it was already half-way into the gate. At this rate, the Egg won't be destroyed.

Marie extended his strings to grab onto the tip of the Egg, but his strings snapped. The force was too strong.

"Dem!" Allen pointed. She followed his finger and saw a large hole on the side of the Egg. It was large enough that a person could fit through and arrive at the inside of the Egg. "Help me get there!"

"What are you-"

"Trust me." Desdemona widened her eyes. He smiled at her.

She looked away. _Fine, go die._

Wrapping Thora around Allen, she readied herself. "Ready?"

Allen nodded.

At that moment, she caught General Klaud's eyes. She seemed to understand what they were doing. Lau charged straight at the Noah from the front, seemingly trying to rescue Miranda. The Noah turned her back on Allen and Desdemona and blocked Lau's attack.

Taking the chance, Desdemona swung her arm forwards. "Don't die!" Allen was thrown towards the Egg. Releasing her whip at the right time, she watched as Allen dove into the hole.

Allen looked around the inside of the Egg. It's too dark, he can't see anything. Now the only thing to do is to wait.

Cross and Sokaro both saw Allen's movements.

Desdemona jumped onto the raised platform next to Marie. "Master! We will never be able to destroy the Egg if we try to protect Miranda at the same time!"

Klaud nodded. They must not let the Noah know Allen's in there. "You're right! If we don't attack at full force now, we'll lose!"

Sokaro prepared his blade. "Well, that's girl's an exorcist, she should be prepared to die, right?"

Marie tensed. "General! What are you-?"

Cross nodded. "Destroying the Egg takes the priority."

"Wait a moment, General!" Marie tried to stop them, but it was no use. A hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned to look at the younger girl. She nodded to him reassuringly. He frowned, there's some hidden meaning behind that nod…but he didn't understand.

General Sokaro started spinning his blade, powering up his attack. Lau transformed into Long Range mode, the attack power doubled. Cross activated Judgement to its maximum power. The Generals prepared themselves.

Lulu Bell frowned. She needs to buy time! She extended one of his metallic arms and reached into her water body. "Are you sure that's wise, exorcists?" Pulling out Miranda, she pinned the exorcist down in front of the Egg, using her as a shield. "It is worth sacrificing one of the few exorcists you have? This woman's troublesome ability, I'm sure it's something you don't want to lose! If the Egg is destroyed, she will be destroyed with it!"

Without any hesitation, Cross fired his first shot, and then many followed. General Sokaro and General Klaud attacked simultaneously. The three attacks glowed brightly, lightning up the entire laboratory.

Desdemona leaned forwards onto the railing. Wait, what are they doing? Allen's in there. Why did they attack with full power?

_Allen's in there…_

The force of the attacks shook the entire Headquarters. Desdemona and Marie knelt down to keep themselves balanced. The lights blinked up overhead and went out, with only the emergency lights remaining to allow visibility. A huge cloud of dust was blown outwards from the Egg by the attack.

Desdemona covered her nose and mouth. What's this? She's scared?

"You're a terrible Master." The dust gradually cleared, Sokaro smirked. "Attacking at full power like that, even though you knew he was there."

"I would never be able to do something like that." Klaud shook her head.

"But I didn't hit him, did I?" Cross ran a hand across Judgement, cleaning off the dust that had settled on his gun.

As the smoke finally cleared to allow better sight, Desdemona stood up quickly and jumped over the railing. Marie followed instantly. They landed on the ground beside the black gate. Desdemona's jaw fell slightly. The Egg…it's inside the gate.

Does that mean it's still intact?

Cross didn't hit it directly so it's fine, right?

The idiot is still alive, right?

Right?

She looked worriedly over the black material. He should be destroying the Egg right about now, right? He's going to destroy the Egg and bring Miranda back up with him, right? He's going to resurface, right?

Then why is he not coming up? She can't see anything through the Ark. What's going on? Why is there no movement? Why is he taking so long?

Why is she so scared?

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced to the side. Cross stood between her and Marie and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Don't worry. Trust him. He'll make it."

Desdemona blinked. The General smiled at her.

Suddenly, an explosion came from within the Ark. Desdemona turned back quickly. Debris flew everywhere. She held an arm in front of her face but watched on intently.

When she saw him, she drew in a breath…and smiled.

Allen appeared from within the explosion, holding Miranda in his arms. He spotted the General and Desdemona. The first thing he noticed was the General's hand on the girl's shoulder, whose face he couldn't see because her arm was in the way. His hatred towards the General tripled in that instant. Cross just tried to kill him, and now he's touching Dem. "Despicable." He glared at the General.

Cross continued to smile.

Allen landed on solid ground and Marie ran over, taking Miranda from Allen and laying her down onto the ground. "Miranda, are you ok?"

Bookman was finally unfrozen and rushed over to examine the female exorcist. "Don't worry. She's just unconscious from the lack of air. She'll be alright."

Desdemona watched them from where she was. She felt…relieved. _The idiot's alive._

…

Wait a minute. Why on earth is she relieved that he's alive? Was she worried about him?

Such thoughts made goose bumps appear down on arms and back. No way, there's no way that she was worried. She simply just really wanted to kill him herself. Yes, that's it. She won't let anyone else kill him. She'll kill him herself. Because he doesn't deserve to live. He irritates her to no end, doesn't let her sleep, forces her to eat, makes her have heart attacks, idiotically idealistic, and screamed at her. That's right, because of all these things; she will die if he lives. Therefore, she must kill him herself…

That's why she didn't want him to die.

And that's why she can't let him die.

She nodded to herself and walked over to the clump that has grown around Miranda. However, before she even arrived, she saw Allen hurrying away to the other side of the laboratory. She only caught a glimpse of him, so she could be wrong but…was his left eye still activated?

Still?

But she wouldn't know…she actually doesn't really know much about him.

Allen ran, he ran with all his remaining strength. This can't be, he can feel an Akuma, a very, very strong Akuma. Its presence is not weak like before, now it's strong.

Johnny, he saw Johnny sprawled across the floor, staring at something in horror. Instinctively, Allen skidded to a stop in front of the vulnerable scientist to protect him. When he glanced up, Allen froze.

There was blood. There was so much blood, flowing down from what seemed like a pile of Akuma corpse. But the blood wasn't Akuma blood, it was human blood. Reever, Bak and many other scientists lay unconscious on the ground.

There were human body parts protruding out from the deformed flesh of Akuma corpses. Allen really didn't understand. Wasn't all the Akuma dead?

What is this?

"A-allen…" A scientist that was half-absorbed into the Akuma flesh muttered painfully. "It…evo-" He slowly raised a hand to point to something. However, before long, black pentacles appeared on his skin. "It evolved…"

Allen followed the scientist's finger, his gaze shifting slowly because he knew he didn't want to see what he was about to see.

"We're sorry…we couldn't hold…"

_Crack_

Allen flinched as the Akuma virus made the scientist's hand brittle. His dead flesh crumbled and his pointing hand fell off from his arm. Soon, his entire body crumbled and turned to dust.

Allen glanced up.

Above the pile of Akuma corpse, there was something - something that looked strikingly like a woman. It was bent back at an unnatural, lifeless angle. The rugged edges of its broken torso was smoking.

It's Dark Matter.

Allen inhaled. What is this? It looked like something was inside, and it broke through. But right now, there's nothing there.

Hehehe…

Hehehehe…

From the base of the 'woman's' legs, a hand appeared. Allen's left eye widened. What-!

Gradually, a head slowly peeked out too. There were two halo-like things floating above its head.

Soon, it revealed itself fully from behind the woman. It was bald and child-like. There were wings coming from its back. Its face and eyes were sharp and sinister. Its body resembled a ball-joint doll, with its elbows, knees and hips all joined in a mechanical manner. Its anatomy, though suggestively similar to that of a human child, was in fact, far from it. The exaggerated curves in its arms and legs emphasised what was supposed to be calves and biceps. Its chest was greatly exaggerated. There were visible ribs and a bloated stomach with a marking of a black pentacle. There were also black markings across its forearms, thighs and lower legs.

It smiled sadistically at Allen.

"Hehe. I'm a Level Four!"

* * *

**A/N** Bad news guys, exams coming up.

And you know what that means?

One week of writing-less-ness.

|||OTL

I'm depressed. I'm being killed by trigonometry. I'm being suffocated by quadratics. I'm getting killed by Othello. (Lol, the irony, Desdemona was killed by Othello…actually, this story is getting killed by Othello) I'm dying because I don't care about stupid creator of penicillin whom I don't even remember the name of.

Crap, I need to study.

So wait for me, my dear readers! I will defeat the monster named Examination with my Excalibur (lol jks) and return a hero!

Enough ranting, maybe a few Reviews can get my mood up when I'm in such a failing slump.

REVIEW AND SAVE MY SOUL!

\/


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader Miss Tiger, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

Hehe, new chapter! It's intense, with all the things happening all at once. I don't know if it flows right though, I wrote it segments at a time so I don't know...

Well, please enjoy chapter 20!

* * *

"Hehe. I'm a Level Four!" The machine proclaimed proudly with a sadistic smirk.

Allen froze, his eyes widened. Above its head…

That _thing_ above its head…

He started shaking uncontrollably. No, this can't be…

His knees gave in and he collapsed onto the ground. No, he can't bear to look. The soul inside…an automated soul…

Unconsciously, tears trailed down his cheeks. This can't be happening. The soul…the soul…

The Level 4 landed next to the exorcist and tilted its head. "…Are you crying?"

Allen used his sleeve to wipe away his falling tears. He frowned. His tears won't stop falling. He can't stand. He can't move. He can't-

A hand appeared over Allen's activated left hand. He glanced down to see Johnny, sprawled across the floor, in a pool of his own fresh, red blood.

"Sorry, I'm sorry…Help us. Help us…" Johnny pleaded as he cried.

Allen tightened his jaws and placed his other hand over Johnny's reassuringly. "Don't worry, Johnny." He said as he forced a smile.

Johnny watched with guilt and worry as Allen pulled out his sword swiftly and swung at the Level 4. It blocked the attack with its forearm easily.

The Exorcist glared. For everyone at the Order, for every killed by this Akuma, for the soul trapped inside it…He will destroy it. He MUST destroy it. He will do it, for certain. "I WILL DESTROY YOU! LEVEL 4!"

Allen pulled back and swung his sword at the Akuma again and again, but it dodged and blocked every attack. Though not harming the machine, Allen pushed it back to the centre of the lab.

Bookman, Marie and Desdemona – who surrounded Miranda – reacted first as Allen and the Level 4 whizzed past them.

"Akuma?" Marie questioned, pressing his headphones closer to his ears.

Desdemona blinked. What was that? She froze in shock. It looks like a disgustingly, abnormal kid. Akuma? She has never seen an Akuma like this before.

And Allen…he's fighting it. He blocked an arm of the Akuma's with his sword, but the Akuma lifted his other arm. Preparing for the strike, Allen braced himself.

The Akuma suddenly stopped in its tracks. Pointing a finger to its forehead, "Of course!" the machine nodded to itself. "I've completely forgotten! This is the Black Order Headquarters!"

He turned back to the exorcist, but he was nowhere to be seen. A sudden weight landed on its shoulders. It looked up, that's where he went.

With his sword back as his left arm, Allen struck down. "I WON'T LET YOU HURT ANYONE!"

_Edge End!_

A bright light emitted from the attack and the sheer force caused the ground beneath to crack and crumble.

Pieces of broken concrete flew everywhere. Marie used his own back to shield Miranda while Desdemona and Bookman shielded themselves with their arms.

Allen glanced up in alarm. He felt it. The Akuma was there for one second and it was gone the next. His arm didn't go through anything. This is not right, the Akuma isn't here! He didn't hit anything!

"I'll start with you." The Level 4 appeared behind Allen. With a flick of its finger, the exorcist was sent flying.

Desdemona watched in shock as Allen shot past the railing on the third floor and crashed into the wall, creating a crater in the bricks. She widened her eyes. The white cowl disappeared. He deactivated. He's…unconscious?

No way… She has to…

The Level 4 rose higher into the air, smiling sadistically. "Ah, time to slaughter!"

Desdemona ran towards the stairs. Allen's already exerted himself with the previous Akuma and the Egg. That attack wasn't just for show. He can't go on like this. He's unconscious too.

Stupid idiot! He doesn't know his own limits.

Stupid, stupid idiot.

Stupid.

She was already halfway across the lab when the Akuma released an extremely high-pitched scream. The vibrating sound waves were powerful enough to shake the concrete structure of the Lab.

She fell to the ground, clutching her ears. It hurts, her ears hurt. They feel like they are getting crushed from the inside. She tightened her jaws and tried to stand, but stumbled down just as soon. No good, everything is spinning. She felt like she was falling the whole time. Her ears...the scream is messing up the inside of her ears for real. Her balance is screwed.

The Level 4 glanced over at General Tiedoll and his defensive barrier. It spotted the lot of scientists and smiled. "There's more over there, huh?"

The General also knelt on the floor, the vines and flowers clearly losing their firmness. The dizziness is making him loose sync with the Innocence.

Pleased, the Level 4 touched a hand to the ground. It summoned a large glowing sphere of energy in its hand and forced it into the floor. The bright light expanded, lifting concrete slabs and disintegrating metal pipes, and soon engulfed the Generals and the Science Division. In another second, it engulfed Miranda, Marie and Bookman and eventually Desdemona.

She glanced up at Allen one last time. No good, she can't make it. She can't…

_Allen…_

More concrete walls crumbled and broken pipes flew everywhere. Allen blinked, he can't see a thing. It's all white. Everything's white. He shook his head, but it did nothing to clear his sight. As the white light disappeared, dust and debris blocked Allen's just recovering sight. He blinked. _What?_

His eyes widened as he saw a huge section of the ventilation pipe flying his way. He tried to move, but he can't. His body won't move.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of Allen. Link lifted his forearm, extending a hidden blade in his sleeve and placed himself between the pipe and an immobile Allen. He sliced through the pipe just in time, avoiding Allen completely. However, a section of the pipe grazed Link on the face. A small stream of blood trickled down from the wound.

"L-Link?" Allen asked, making sure he's seeing correctly.

"I can't let you die just yet…" The man replied grudgingly. Glancing to the side, Link froze.

Spotting his odd behaviour, Allen followed Link's gaze down to the first floor. Allen's jaw dropped in an overwhelming sense of doom.

The first floor, it's non-existent.

In its place, there was a giant hole, a hole so deep that the bottom wasn't visible. The darkness in it seems to swallow up anything and everything. There was nothing left, nothing.

Except for the Level 4, floating in the middle of the lab.

"No…No way…" Allen breathed. Not truly believing the sight in front of him. "They fell…It can't be…" He frowned. It's can't be.

It absolutely can't be.

Everyone, everyone fell? And that attack, to survive that is…to survive is…

No, don't think like that. They're alright. They're all alright.

Dem…she's not there anymore. Dem, she must be alright. She has to be alright. She'll be fine. Out of the blue, she will appear and hit him on the head. Either that or she'll call him an idiot and insult him. He'll laugh it off, right?

Right?

He's scared. He's so scared. This amount of fear, he's never been so scared in his life before. It's not grief, it's not sadness and it's not anger.

It's pure fear.

And Allen really didn't understand this fear, he had no time to understand either.

Because now, he will use everything he has to believe in them. To believe that they are all right. Because they are strong, they are strong so they can survive this. And after everything ends, everything will go back to how it was before. Everything will go back to normal.

But the pretext is to defeat the Level 4. Yes, defeat it.

Allen glared at the Level 4, hysterically laughing its head off.

Yes, that's right. He will defeat it. Defeat it and everything will go back to normal. They will all come back, Dem will come back.

Defeat it.

* * *

_Chase sighed, glancing back at the little girl trailing behind him, carrying a bucket of raw meat. He looked back to the front, spotting the large, brightly coloured tent at the centre._

_She's talking a little more now, since that day. It's been about 3 months. Cosmo's been treating them worse and worse. First it started with smaller dinner portions and now, no food was almost normal. They were still expected to feed the animals and wash them, but Cosmo hasn't found a replacement Tamer. They had to run errands too, since one of the errand boys ran away with the clown and the other one died at the beginning of the year to tuberculosis during the outbreak. There're still a lot of tuberculosis cases around this area, even now._

_Cosmo hasn't dared to touch Mony yet but, he's been beating Chase quite often. He never told Mony, but he could tell she knows._

_These days, she would only talk to him and would never, even for one second, leave his side. Chase always had a feeling that Cosmo is scared of Mony for some reason. Chase had seen her like that, those times when her eyes turned gold. She's scary. It's cold, it's cruel, and he could feel raw sadism, but he never said a word about it. _

_He felt his throat start itching, so he pulled out an old handkerchief and covered his mouth before he coughed into it. He stopped walking, because suddenly, his lungs began hurting and he couldn't stop coughing. _

_Mony caught up to him and looked on with a worried frown. "Chase? Are you ok?"_

_When his coughing finally stopped, he panted and nodded. "Just give me a moment. I'm fine." He said through the handkerchief, still pressed against his mouth. "You go on first." _

_The girl shot him a worried glance, but he smiled with his eyes in reassurance. The girl took his bucket of raw meat and headed over to the large tent. Chase waited until the girl was out of sight before removing his handkerchief from his face. He glanced down with a frown. _

_On the yellowed cotton, there was fresh, red blood. Without hesitation, the 13-year-old bunched the handkerchief up and shoved it deep down into his pocket. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he ran after the girl._

_No, I can't collapse, she's depending on me._

_I can't collapse now. Please, not now._

* * *

"GYAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The Level 4 laughed maniacally as it massacred every living human in its way.

The remaining Science Department lined up, holding shields against the Level 4 while pushing Komui back. They have to protect him.

The Level 4 laughed more at the meek humans' pathetic attempts at stopping it. Shields? It'll just cut through them.

In an instant, the Level 4 walked past the line of shields. A row of Scientists were decapitated and their empty necks spurted out blood. It arrived in front of Komui, smiling sickly. Komui stumbled back a few steps.

"You're the commander of exorcists, right? Then your head must worth as much as an exorcists'!" It widened its smile excitedly.

_Ting~!_

Something came its way, fast. The Level 4 jumped back, feeling something sharp hit against its shoulder, barely missing its head. The Akuma glanced back; a man was standing in front of the Supervisor.

Komui glanced up. "Kanda?"

The Japanese scowled as the sword in his hands crumbled. "Tch." Throwing the hilt away, he pulled out another one from the holster on his back. "Komui, bastard. Work on the weapons in the storehouse more! These can't even slice soba!"

"S-sorry..." Komui apologized to the intimidating man.

"Talisman!"

The exorcist and the Supervisor looked up to the source of the bright light that illuminated the area. The Science Department has set up a Talisman, trapping the Level 4 inside. No, it's not just one Talisman. They layered 3 Talismans on it.

"Pfft." The Level 4 smirked. "Hehe…HEHEHEHE! !"

Positioning himself, Kanda held out his sword.

"Kanda?" Komui frowned. "Don't be stupid! You don't have your Innocence!"

"I won't go down that easily." The exorcist glared at the Level 4.

"_Komui, can you hear me?_" Komui froze. _This voice, Hevlaska?_

"_Komui, come to where I am. I will attract the Level 4…Take the Innocence inside of me and get out! The Ark is still connecting to the Asia head Quarters. Move everyone there! If you stay here, the damage will get out of control!"_

"…" The Supervisor tightened his jaws, not responding.

"_We don't have exorcists available to fight! __As long as the Innocence is there, we can rebuild Headquarters as many times as necessary! Komui!"_

"…"

"_Komui!-"_

"_We still have Lenalee Lee's power, Hevlaska_."

Komui widened his eyes. _Rouvelier. What's he planning? What's he planning to do with Lenalee?_

"_She's still unusable."_ Hevlaska stated firmly. "_Exorcists are not tools! A half-hearted synchronisation will kill her!_"

"The Innocence were created to destroy Akuma, right?" Rouvelier questioned as he rushed in the direction of the Infirmary, where Lenalee was. _"_Then why aren't you using it?"

"_No, not that, Rouvelier!_"

"You plan on dying, don't you Hevlaska?"

"_I've lived with the order for a hundred years. The Order is all I have, Rouvelier…_"

Rouvelier stopped before the soundproof doors of the Infirmary and pushed them open. They swung open and crashed against the wall with a loud bang.

"I-Inspector?" The Head Nurse snapped her head to the man.

"Lenalee Lee, you're an exorcist, right?" the large man glared at the girl coldly. "Then come with me."

* * *

_You're needed._

_Sitting, holding her knees, she opened her eyes. Darkness. Darkness is all she can see._

_She's not awake. This happened the last time she fainted. Her Innocence is probably trying to tell her something again._

_You're needed._

_**What do you want?**_

_The Level 4 has exited Lab 5, its killing everyone._

…

_Lenalee Lee is going to synchronise._

_**Lenalee? She's not ready, is she?**_

_Before her, a screen emerged. Graphics gradually appeared. Lenalee was held up by Hevlaska, who was proceeding to place the Innocence into Lenalee. The view, the point of view was of the Innocence. _

_As of now, she will die._

_**Then why are they…**_

_That's what the Order decided._

…_**Still using us as tools.**_

_Dark Boots must be protected._

_**Dark Boots?**_

_All Innocence are linked. I know, for I am the closest._

_**Ok, ok. Just tell me what to do.**_

_No, you are ready, now. Command the Innocence; you have been given the right to do so._

_**Wait, what? Command the Innocence?**_

_You can only help when you are in this state. Just tell the Innocence what to do. I will relate your power and your command__._

_If she remembered correctly, all the Generals, Marie, Miranda and Bookman were attacked by the Level 4 with her. If she is unconscious…doesn't that mean they are too?_

_**Where's Allen?**_

_He's unconscious in Lab 5._

_Allen…he's exerted himself too much from fighting before…but she doesn't have any other choice. Kanda and Lavi don't have their Innocence, Chaoji's a newbie, Crowley's lying useless in the Infirmary. _

_**...I understand. Crown Clown is a full-body armour, right? Move Allen...but be careful, protect him.**_

_Allocate more power?_

_**Yes.**_

_Your command is being related._

_She frowned to herself and turned to the screen. Suddenly, everything shook. The Innocence was flung out of Hevlaska's grip and landed on a metal walkway. Through it, she saw Hevlaska collapsing from Level 4's attack and Lenalee hitting her head and sprawled on the floor. Lenalee tried to reach the Innocence but the Level 4 landed next to her, planting a foot on her head._

_Command related. Crown Clown is on the move._

_**To Lenalee.**_

_Opening Crown Clown Perspective_

_Another screen appeared. She can see through Allen's…no, Crown Clown's eyes._

_He's falling down, he jumped down straight into the elevator shaft. At this rate he's going to crash. The Innocence obviously paid no heed as falling like this will not kill it. But Allen is human, he won't be able to stand that._

_Think, think. What capabilities does Crown Clown have…have…_

_**Clown Belt!**_

_Accordingly, the Innocence extended the white strands and breaking his fall._

_She sighed in relief. Need to keep in mind Allen's in there. Don't accidentally kill him…_

_Attack the Level 4?_

_**Yeah, do that.**_

_Allen attacked the Level 4. It dodged, leaving Lenalee. Allen chased after the Level 4, exchanging many blows with it. When the Level 4 landed a kick in his chest, Allen flew all the way into the wall on the other side, creating a crater._

_She flinched, she could feel a slight pain in her chest too. Broken ribs, cuts. Allen…It's hurting him…_

_She shook her head. No, she must protect Lenalee. He's durable, he'll be fine…_

_He'll be fine…_

_He fell, Komui rushed over. The Supervisor shook Allen's shoulders._

_**He's still unconscious?**_

_Yes. Continue?_

…

_Continue?_

_**...**_

"I'm already tired of grieving."

_She turned back to Dark Boots' perspective. Lenalee was trying to reach her Innocence. Painfully, she crawled over and pushed herself shakily up. Taking the Innocence, she held it to her chest._

"I'm no longer that weak little girl who cried in her bed…"

_She listened. Lenalee's not speaking, but the Innocence can hear it._

"Because I have my brother and everyone else with me. Because of them, I am able to fight in this nightmarish world."

_She's ready._

"Innocence…Please take these feelings and transform them into a strength to protect everybody. If you do that…I will follow you. I will follow you until the day it all ends. Wherever you take me, I'll follow. But please, at the end…at the end please let me return to my brother's side."

_Permission to extract._

_**Granted? Whatever that is.**_

…

_**So what's going to happen?**_

_Allen Walker regained consciousness. Lenalee Lee will synchronise. Your job is done. You can wake up now._

_**Hey, wait-!**_

"Wait!"

Desdemona sat up abruptly, head-butting whoever was looming over her. She rubbed her head. It hurts.

Stupid Innocence. What was that? When it needs her, it drags her in. When it doesn't need her, it kicks her out.

She glanced around. Blinking, she took in the information around her. General Tiedoll was sprawled across the floor, holding his bleeding nose. "Ah! Girl! Your head is so hard!"

She glanced around. Garden of Eden was in place. All the unconscious scientists were protected. There was rubble, rubble everywhere. They should be underneath Lab 5 somewhere…Marie, Miranda and the few scientists with Reever are not here...

All she could remember was the Akuma attacking, then Garden of Eden grabbed her and she passed out.

She heard footsteps. She turned. There, General Klaud was walking towards her.

"Master…" She started. "Where…"

Before she could finish her question, the General grabbed her by the back of her collar and dragged her up. She half-choked on her clothes but was soon set back down on her feet.

"Cross found a way out. We have to get out and help them."

"Way out…?" She tilted her head.

Klaud shook her shoulders roughly. "Come on, wake up! Did you hit your head somewhere?"

Desdemona blinked. She followed Klaud to the edge of whatever they were standing on. There, on the already semi-destroyed wall, was a small hole obviously carved out by the three Generals' combined attacks. General Cross and General Sokaro stood beside it, along with a very large Lau. From obvious visual comparison, that tunnel is way too small for any of the Generals to crawl through.

"Ah, here we have the young lady." Cross removed his lit cigarette from his lips. The girl wondered if he ever stops smoking. Allen would know the answer.

Allen...

"Ok, getting to the point." Klaud said in a serious tone. "As you can see, none of us can fit through. If we attack it from here alone anymore, we risk having this wall collapse entirely. We need a simultaneous attack from the other side and here." Klaud explained. "Lau can fit through with no problem but it's useless if it goes alone. We want you to go to the other side with Lau and wait for the signal, then we'll attack together to make this hole larger."

"Ok, I understand." She nodded, heading for the hole already.

" You'll have a distance to go before you reach the end." Cross added.

"Lau, let's go." She signalled for the beast. It obediently shrunk down to its smaller form and hopped into the cavity. Following Lau, Desdemona pulled herself into the hole and started crawling on all fours, with still some space overhead.

"Careful!" Klaud shouted from behind.

"Hm." She mumbled.

With Lau in the lead, the girl only followed the sound of the monkey. There is practically no light in here and she can barely see anything. Except for the exit on the other side, but that too was very far away.

As she went further, the tunnel became narrower and narrower. She had to flatten herself out and wriggle forwards.

As they finally neared the exit, Lau rushed out and escaped the claustrophobic hole. Desdemona, on the other hand, was not so lucky. She ran the risk of getting stuck in the stupid hole. Not to mention the rugged edges of the walls. Now that the rocks are pressed against her, she had no choice but to pull herself through. She bit her teeth as she felt the rocks lightly grazing her at places and cutting into her flesh in others. She swore she'll never do this again.

Painfully, she dragged herself out of the extremely small hole and landed in open space. She lay on the ground tiredly. Her shoulders hurt from all that wriggling. Her back hurts too. She sat up slowly, examining herself.

This is not very good. Her clothes were torn and some of her deeper cuts were bleeding quite heavily. She sighed and stood up. She's more injured, climbing through a hole in the wall, than fighting a lab full of Akuma.

No good, no good. Her coat is too torn. It's basically shredded. She took it off and discarded it in the corner of the dark room.

Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called back into the tunnel. "I'm out!"

"Where are you now?" She heard General Klaud call back.

She glanced around, Lau climbed onto her shoulder. "I think it's a storeroom!" She replied.

She waited a few moments before getting a reply. "Ok, I understand! Tell Lau to Activate!"

"Lau, Activate." She relayed.

The animal jumped off her shoulder and transformed with a roar.

"Ok, get ready. We'll attack at the count of three." Klaud said.

Desdemona pulled out Thora. Activating it to Level 2, the Spiked Whip, she positioned herself.

_Level 3, Thunder Rage._

Blue electricity crackled along the whip. This way, the damage is bigger.

"Lau, attack here at the count of three." She pointed to the wall. Lau roared in response.

"1!" She heard from the other side.

"2!" The two Generals positioned themselves, ready for the blast.

"3!" The exorcists attacked the concrete simultaneously. The force punctured through the wall, debris of various sizes flew everywhere. The smaller particles rose into the air, creating a thick cloud of dust.

Desdemona drew back, coughing out the occasional concrete particles that ended up in her throat and shielding her eyes from the flying debris. She felt Lau return to normal and climbed onto her shoulder with a little grunt.

As the dust cloud cleared, she glanced back at the hole and pouted in displeasure. This is not fair, now it's so big that you can walk through it upright with no problem. She felt ripped off, with all that blood she'd lost crawling through that stupid hole.

Soon enough, the three Generals strode through the tunnel with no difficulties at all. Lau instantly returned to Klaud's shoulder.

"What happened to you?" Klaud rose an eyebrow at the bloody mess that was supposed to be her student.

Crossing her arms across her chest arrogantly, she frowned. "I wonder what _happened_ to me."

Klaud simply walked forwards, Desdemona pouted more.

Cross and Sokaro headed in front, locating themselves and figuring out where to go next.

"This is one of the Science Department's Storerooms." Klaud said.

"All the more reason not to touch any of these bottles up here." Cross commented as he glanced up a shelf containing glass bottles. Upon closer inspection, the symbol of a skull was present on all of the bottles.

Desdemona shivered. _Not touching that, at all._

"Let's just get out of here." General Sokaro's husky voice said. He walked over to the door and tried the knob. It wouldn't budge.

"Seems like you need a key to get out too." Klaud pointed out.

"Well, screw that." Sokaro pulled out his Innocence. "We'll just blow our way out of here."

* * *

Kanda leant, semi-conscious, against a great crater in the concrete. Lavi, also semi-conscious, laid beneath a bloody wall.

The Level 4 walked towards the exorcist clothed in white. It extended an arm and pulled the limp exorcist up from the rubbles.

Allen coughed, choking on his own blood. He knew the Level 4 was right there, but he has no strength left.

At this rate…he's going to die.

Everyone…Dem…

He promised that he'd save everyone, but…

_Sorry_.

Allen closed his eyes, waiting for the blow. However, instead of a deadly attack, he felt himself falling again. He forced open his eyelids.

_Lenalee?_

Lenalee landed on the Akuma's outstretched arm, forcing it to let go of Allen. Her Innocence…her Dark Boots looked different. Did she…did she synchronise?

"How dare you do this to our home?" Lenalee glared straight into the Akuma's eyes. The Akuma's eyes lit up in anticipation, almost excited that there's a new exorcist to kill.

The Level 4 pulled its other hand back, preparing for an attack.

Lenalee quickly turned and jumped the other way. Grabbing a hold of Allen on the way, she jumped up and out of the way of the attack.

The Akuma released its blow in the direction of the two exorcists and a large trail was left behind on the concrete ground. It scowled. "I missed." Flying up, the Akuma searched with its eyes. It smirked as it spotted a dark dot above it. "There."

Lenalee breathed a sigh of relief. Shocking herself with the speed and height too, she examined her boots. _What are these?_ Behind her heels were butterfly-like pieces. They moved and fluttered, just like butterflies. Her boots feel different, they look different too.

"Argh." Allen covered his mouth with his hand. He feels nauseas. "Lenalee…Too fast."

"S-sorry, Allen." Lenalee apologised.

Soon after, the Level 4 caught up and attacked. It charged at the airborne exorcists but Lenalee dodged it.

"Lenalee, you can let me go, I'll be fine. I'll extend my Clown belt, I won't fall." Lenalee looked up at the male exorcist, his pained expression surprised her. "And I'm sorry…I failed to protect everyone…I'm sorry."

_I failed to protect everyone._

Lenalee frowned. "I'm sorry too, for showing up so late." She released Allen and pushed him away. Turning around in midair, she kicked the Akuma that charged at her. "Now it's time to stop you!"

Allen extended Clown Belt and held himself. He closed his eyes momentarily. _Just then…it felt like her…I was unconscious and Crown Clown moved me but…Dem…_

_It felt like her. She must be alright…she BETTER be alright or else…or else I won't ever forgive her! Won't forgive her…_He opened his eyes and frowned. _Why am I so weak? I can't protect anyone…_

Releasing Clown Belt, he allowed himself to fall towards the Akuma and Lenalee. Tightening his grip on the sword, he swung at the Akuma. However, the machine manoeuvred itself out of the way of the sword, only to be kicked in the chest by Lenalee. Allen took the chance to slice it, but it blocked the sword with a force field. Lenalee landed on the force field and pushed the Akuma down further.

However, the Akuma was fast to recover. It flew back up and attacked the two exorcists, who blocked it with a counter-attack. With gravity by their side, the two exorcists gradually forced the Akuma down the elevator shaft. With a powerful kick from Lenalee, the Akuma went crashing into the metal boards beneath. Not allowing the Akuma a second to respond, Allen slammed his sword into the Akuma's torso, pinning it into the iron beneath that bent like it was made of cotton.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The Akuma screamed and smirked at the exorcist. "I'm afraid…NOT!" The Akuma laughed as it kept the sword from entering its body by holding it with its hands.

Allen smirked back confidently. "Oh, really?"

The Akuma watched in despair as Lenalee came crashing down, landing all the combined force of gravity and Innocence onto the hilt of Allen's sword. The Akuma's hands gave out at the immense strength and the sword cut through half the depth of the Akuma's body.

Pushing off the sword as hard as she could, Lenalee rose high into the air again.

_Higher._ _Faster._ She rose higher than ever before and at the peak of her rise, she flipped herself upside down. The Akuma struggled with all its might and Allen used all his strength in keeping the Akuma in place. As the Level 4 watched Lenalee accelerate her fall with the aid of gravity, it felt its impending doom.

"GET OFF ME!" The Akuma screeched.

"NOT A CHANCE!" Allen pressed the Akuma down, gritting his teeth. The Akuma's strong, but he cannot, not matter what, allow the Akuma's escape.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" The Akuma's screeched even louder and it grew even stronger in desparation. Allen exerted more force on his sword. No good, at this rate he won't-!

Suddenly, Allen felt the Akuma's strength completely disappear. Almost as if the Akuma's body is controlled. There's only one person who could do that…

Lenalee landed on the hilt once more and the sword punctured through the Akuma's torso, even sinking into the iron beneath, crumbling it.

Allen barely took a proper breath before the wall above him exploded.

* * *

"I already said, we are on standby!" Klaud repeated for the umpteenth time.

"But-" The Eurasian girl started, but was cut off by Klaud's palm.

"_The Evacuation is cancelled._" Desdemona heard through her transmitter. It was General Cross's voice. "_Komui._"

The girl glanced down at the General, sitting cooly in the hole he just blew up in the wall.

Klaud sighed. "Ignore him. Now, how's _that_ going."

"That?" She frowned. "Oh, that!"

"Usable?"

Desdemona shook her head. "It takes too long to get started, not that useful in battle."

Klaud nodded. "Success rate?"

"It works every time now, it just takes long."

"Dem, what about you start it now." Klaud turned to the girl.

"Now?" She repeated with a frown.

"Yes, now. Hurry before it's too late."

"But-"

"Just do it."

The girl glanced over at the white head. They were now standing on the shutters inside the elevator shaft. It was installed just above Hevlaska's chamber and is a safety precaution to guard the Innocence pieces. They arrived just before Lenalee landed her final blow.

He still kept the sword planted firmly into the Akuma. No matter how much she didn't want to admit, he's quite something, to be able to keep this fight up with all his injuries. He's been fighting non-stop since the beginning…That stupid idiot, stupid sense of responsibility, stupidly stubborn and stupid stupid stupid.

There, one word that describes him: stupid.

She deep breathed. If she can pull this off, it can do plenty of damage.

_Level 3, Wrath of Thor, Begin Activation…_

She closed her eyes, closing a hand around Thora at her belt. She has practiced this to death. It was only recently that her success rate became 100%. This familiar feeling, yes, Thora is responding.

Wrath of Thor. Its principle is something she will never understand. Komui did mention something about forcing particles in the air to rub and create static electricity. By accumulating potential electrical difference or something, the electricity will discharge at the point where enough force is built for it to "short circuit" into the ground. But she didn't understand that. More simply put, Komui said, it is just like how lightning is created inside thunder clouds.

It's miracle that she managed to remember that much. All she really knows is that, it is the same kind of feeling as Thunder Rage. Thora has power and she has the ability to wield that power. Thora is gathering energy. Concentrate, now. She has to concentrate. Concentrate on holding the energy together, let more accumulate, more and more accumulate. When it reaches breaking point, she will release it at the Akuma.

_1%..._

Klaud continued to stare at Cross's dramatic reappearance speech in silence.

"Komui, I said the evacuation is called off." Cross repeated coolly, exhaling a puff of smoke from his cigarette.

"G-general Cross?" Komui gaped at the man at the hole in the wall. "Is it really…General Cross?"

"Do I look like someone else?" The General replied arrogantly.

"_Tzz…Tzz… Sor…Supervisor…"_

"Reever? Is that you, Reever?" Komui widened his eyes.

_1__0%..._

_Concentrate_, Desdemona told herself. She shouldn't hear, she shouldn't feel anything other than the electricity building up. Frustrated by the noises from her transmitter, she took it off roughly.

Klaud got a hold of the girl's transmitter and listened in.

"_I'm sorry. We're somewhere under the fifth lab…surrounded by rubble and flames…I can't give an exact position but we're inside Miranda's 'Time Out'. Maker of Eden is somewhere out there, everyone is safe. Please do something about the fire."_

Komui moved instantly, walking towards the set of stairs leading up to the ground floor hall. "Understood, we'll put it out immediately, just hold on a little longer! Make sure to stick close together so Miranda can decrease the size of her 'Time Out' and lessen her strain."

_2__0%..._

"General Cross." Komui said into the transmitter.

"_What?_"

"I'm heading up. If I leave you, Allen and Lenalee here…Can you finish it off?"

"_You don't even have to ask._" Cross exhaled another puff of smoke as he stood up. "_You go ahead, Supervisor._"

"Hehe. Taking all the glory by himself. Did he forget we are up here?" Sokaro commented in a joking tone. Klaud motioned him to be quiet.

_3__0%..._

"There were survivors in the lab? Is that true, Komui?" Hevlaska asked hopefully as she saw Komui hurry towards the stairs. They thought they all died…but General Cross is here, so the others must be alright!

Komui turned around with a extremely relieved smile. "Yes! That's right!"

Lenalee, who had been listening intently, leant back against the railing. She sighed in relief and an overwhelming sense of happiness filled her. They are not dead. They survived.

Allen widened his eyes. Involuntarily, tears streamed down his cheeks. He looked down, gritting his teeth. _They are alright. They are alright. Thank God. They are alright._ He squeezed his eyes shut. Somehow, the guilt didn't leave him. He felt like he can't face them. He was too powerless, he was too powerless to do anything.

_4__0%..._

"GYYYYAAAAAAAA!" The Akuma suddenly screamed. It began writhing under Allen's sword. "I HATE IT! I HATE THIS STUPID INNOCENCE!"

The Akuma grabbed a hold of the sword and tried to pull it out of its body. Allen's attention returned to the Akuma. He used all his strength to hold the Akuma in place but it's no good. The Akuma's strong. He's running out of power. It's even stronger than before!

Summoning a sphere of light in its left hand, it struck Allen in the chest and the exorcist flew into the wall beneath Cross.

The Akuma pulled out Allen's sword and threw it towards the exorcist. Allen flinched. In the blink of an eye, his sword flew past his head and buried itself into the wall next to him.

_50%..._

_Pzzt Pzzzzt_.

General Klaud turned to her student at the sound of electricity cracking…She's faster than before. Her training did pay off. By the looks of it, she's already half-way there. There were small sparks of visible blue electricity crackling around her.

Now comes the hard part. If she's distracted now, all the power she's gathered up will backfire. At half-way, there is enough power to injure her quite badly. So from here on, every bit of power gained is endangering herself. At 99%, there's enough electricity to kill her if she's not careful.

_60%..._

The Akuma stood up, a gaping wound across its oversized belly. "YOU FOOLS! YOU REALLY THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO DESTROY ME?"

"Nah, I didn't think so." Cross said leisurely, landing on Allen's sword. Allen glanced up at his Master, still wide-eyed from the shock of having his own sword flying at him. "But now, it's time for you to be destroyed."

Cross pushed off Allen's sword and appeared instantly before the Akuma.

_70%..._

"You want me to tell you why?" Cross held up Judgement and aimed at its head. The machine jumped back.

Cross fired. The Akuma raised both hands and created a force field to stop the bullet. The bullet stopped before the palms of the Akuma and after a few suspenseful seconds, the bullet cracked.

The Level 4 smiled. "Looks like you underestimated me…" Pushing the force field out, it shattered the bullet and sent the remnants flying in all directions. "NOT A CHANCE!"

Unfazed, General Cross smiled. He lifted Judgement slowly and 6 empty shells fell out. "Did you only see the one shot?"

The Akuma froze. Black liquid trailed down its face. Its body started cracking. It examined itself and halted in disbelief. There, visibly, was a hole in its forehead, 2 in its chest and two on each of its legs.

_80%..._

"No…No way…" It managed as blood filled its mouth.

Suddenly, on all of its wounds, a symbol of a cross with wings appeared. The flesh around the symbol swelled as the Dark Matter rejected the Innocence buried in itself. The Akuma's body became even more mutated as its limbs bent in painfully unnatural angles, pushed by the growing volume of its flesh. Soon enough, it was almost 10 times its original size. Compared to before, its appearance became even more grotesque.

"Where was I?" Cross took the cigarette out of his mouth. "Yes, the reason. Let's overlook everything you did to the Order, I'm a nice man after all. But then…" Cross smiled sickly. "You ruined my clothes…"

Allen and Lenalee stared disbelievingly at the General with slack jaws. _General Cross…_

_90%..._

"AARRRRRRGGGHHHHH!" The Akuma jumped off the ground, its movements much more slowly than before. It flew up, the elevator shaft, aiming at the opening at the top of the tower.

"Hevlaska! Close the shutters!" Rouvelier commanded.

"No use! It won't close in time!" Hevlaska replied. Klaud felt the shutters began to move beneath her feet. Dem already has a large sphere of blue electricity crackling, she can't touch her. She's much faster than before. By the looks of this, it'll be perfect timing.

General Sokaro pulled out and activated his Innocence. Lau activated to Klaud's command.

_Clown Belt!_

Allen extended Clown Belt and wrapped them around the Akuma's body, tying it down. "I won't let you get away! I'll destroy you!" Glaring up at the fat body of the Akuma, he froze. In the corner of his eyes, he saw something that he never expected to see but had always been longing to see. There, standing on the shutters, was the unmistakable form of…

_100%!_

Desdemona opened her eyes. Pulling Thora out, a bright light was emitted as it turned into the double-edged blade. Just as normal metals turn red when heated, the metallic bits of the blade gradually turned glowing blue.

"Fly, fly all you want, Akuma!" General Sokaro laughed sadistically. That woke Allen up from his trance. Using Clown Belt, he pulled himself up towards the Akuma. Lenalee was above him, also heading for the Akuma.

"Lau!"

Desdemona saw the giant Level 4 right beneath her. She couldn't hear anything but she knew to aim for the Akuma. She jumped. Lifting her blade overhead, something to gather above her, only she could feel it. She brought Thora down, breaking the segments apart in the process. The blade barely scratched the surface of the Akuma's skin. However, at the same time, a bright blue bolt of lightning appeared from thin air. It went straight through the Akuma, surrounding its large body in bright blue, and down to the ground underneath. The roaring sound of thunder was united with the blinding lightning at such proximity.

Lenalee and Allen were surrounded by the blinding blue light and their ears rang from the thunder, but they felt no pain. A millisecond later, they struck the Akuma's backside. Simultaneously, the two Generals launched their own super attack at the Akuma's front.

Allen and Lenalee went through the Akuma's body and landed on top of the shutters while Desdemona, General Klaud and General Sokaro fell down beneath.

The Akuma fell back down too, but it smiled a mutated smile. A large, gaping hole was at the centre of its body. The rest of its flesh was burnt to a crumbling black. "How horrifying…But Master Earl, I killed a lot today!"

Allen glanced back to see the Akuma smiling at him through the slit between the shutters and a second later, they were completely closed.

Rouvelier watched from the side as the large body of the Akuma fell from the shutters. Its flesh gradually disintegrated into dust, leaving only its head which fell and hit the ground with a thud. The Inspector smiled, he lifted both his hands and began to clap.

"_This is Komui._" The intercom crackled. "_The Evacuation has been cancelled. The Level 4 is defeated._ _All units follow my orders._"

* * *

Desdemona blinked. She was knocked out again. Happens every time she uses that. She told Master it's unusable. It renders her defenceless before and after the attack for too long.

She sat up. People, people, people bustling everywhere. She was on a stretcher…

She glanced around and smiled in relief. There's no more Akuma. They defeated it.

She stood up amongst the stressed crowd. The entire Science Department is here with the medics. It seems everyone buries under that rubble is safe. She sighed. What a day…

She looked herself over. Other than the enormous amount of cuts she received from a hole in the wall, that made her look severely injured as a mess of flesh and blood, she's totally fine. She decided she should not clog up space here and headed out of this huge hall.

"IS THERE A DOCTOR AROUND HERE? ALLEN'S STOPPED MOVING!"

Desdemona stopped in her tracks at the voice of Lenalee. What did she just…

"HE'S ON THE FLOOR BENEATH! HURRY!"

The Eurasian girl turned around to locate Lenalee, only to see her, too, collapsed on the ground and surrounded by medics. She pivoted on her feet and headed for the stairs. Her footsteps became frantic and those frantic footsteps gradually turned into a run.

Allen…

You stupid, stupid, STUPID idiot.

Arriving on the lower floor, Desdemona glanced around. No, no sight of him. Where? Where is he?

She ran, turning to various corridors and searching with her eyes. Hell, where is he?

Turning another corner, she froze.

He was leaning against the wall underneath a window. No good. This is no good. His shirt is stained red with blood and there was a pool collecting on the ground.

Timcampy sat on his knee, watching in dismay.

She ran, she ran over to his side and knelt down. She reached out to grab him but froze…

Suddenly, she realised she doesn't know what to do. What to do? What to do? She doesn't know what to do. She can't touch him…what if his injuries become worse? But she has to stop the bleeding, he's not going to last with this amount of bleeding. She shut her eyes in panic. No, calm down. Calm down. Broken ribs…she can't move him! What if bone fragments puncture his lungs or worse, his heart!

Oh God! She stood up and paced around. She clutched her head and pulled on her free hair (she didn't know where her ribbon went). Why is she so stupid? Oh God. The medics have their hands full. Why did she come by herself? She can't do anything, damn it!

No, calm down. Calm down. She stopped pacing and deep breathed.

She has to get him to the medics. In his current situation, the safest way to move him is using a stretcher. But that's not possible by herself. She doesn't even have a stretcher. She can piggyback him. With Thora, she can decrease his weight but considering the injuries in his chest cavity, it's not safe. She could drag him, but she's worried about his spinal injuries and they need to head up a flight of stairs. What to do?

She shut her eyes.

_What do I do?_

"Lenalee?..." Allen muttered under his breath. She returned to his side immediately, if he regains conscious, it's a good sign. "Don't worry about me…hurry upstairs…"

"Allen, don't worry." She told him calmly. "She already went up. Can you hear me? Allen?" She knelt over him, Timcampy flew around the exorcists.

"Dem?" He turned his head to her voice slowly.

"Don't move!" She half screamed. Stupid idiot, his spine was hurt!

But he didn't listen. He shifted himself until he was facing her and he forced his eyes open. When he saw her, all the pain in his body went away, replaced by a sense of relief and happiness he hasn't felt for a long time. Her presence alone makes him feel such bliss.

"...Move!...you...spine...heart...upstairs..."

She was telling him about something, but he didn't listen. He couldn't comprehend her words. But she kept on talking and talking. When did she ever talk so much?

He raised his arm and placed it around her shoulders. She stopped talking, whatever she was talking about, and blinked. Before she had the chance to start talking again, Allen pulled her roughly into his chest and wrapped his other arm around her. Holding her in a tight hug, he felt her panic.

"IDIOT! DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT I SAID? YOUR RIBS MIGHT PUNCTURE YOUR VITAL ORGANS, YOU IDIOT!" She raised her head and glared up at him. His eyes were half-closed and she couldn't read his expression.

"Shhhh." He whispered lightly in her ears. She was infuriated. Why wouldn't he listen? Does he want to die? She was about to scream at him but was stopped. This time, by a cold droplet of liquid landing on her cheek.

She blinked.

It was a few seconds before she comprehended what she saw...

He was crying...

Her mind went blank. She honestly and truly admits defeat. She can't do anything about him. She can't do anything with him like this. Why does he do that to her? Why does he mess her up so much?

Holding her even tighter to his chest, more tears escaped his eyes. "I was so scared." He whispered, but it was laboured, like he was using all of his strength just to get the words out. "I was so scared that I might never see you again. So scared that I might lose you...I was scared."

_"You don't understand how scary it was..."_

He said the same thing before, in the Ark. The girl relaxed into his chest and wrapped her arms around him gently, taking care not to put too much pressure on his wounds. "Sorry..." she apologized, not too sure why herself.

"I...don't want to lose you..." he forced out. "Don't...don't leave me."

Her heart raced. She didn't know what was happening to her. She could feel her cheeks heat up and blood rush to her head, clouding her panicking mind even more. Flustered, she glanced up at him.

However, his eyes were already closed. His arms around her went limp and fell from her shoulders. "Allen?" She tried, but there was no response.

Panic struck again, she checked his breathing and was slightly relieved, he's breathing. But before she had the time to worry about anything else, she heard footsteps.

"Where are they? Find them!"

The medics? The medics are at the stairs! She stood up and glanced down at Timcampy. "Tim, watch over Allen." Timcampy fluttered its wings and the girl ran back to the stairwell.

When she arrived, the men in white coats surrounded her. "Hurry! Allen's there!"

"Where?" the leading doctor asked urgently.

"Second corridor to the right after you turn left from here!"

"You guys, come with me!" At the command, half of the medics present rushed over with the doctor. But when the girl tried to follow, the other half surrounded her.

"Stop right there!" An important-looking medic glared at her seriously. "Head Nurse told us you are a handful and you really are. Everyone, tie her up!"

The girl struggled as a lot of hands holding ropes surrounded her. "Wait, wait! What is this about?"

"You are injured severely and yet you ran away the second we weren't looking." the medic explained with an accusing tone.

"Injured? But I'm fine!" She argued. Her hands were already tied behind her backs and she can't move.

"Fine? No! You hit your head when you fell from the shutters! Hard! It's a miracle you're still walking around!"

"What! Hit my head! No wa-!" She stopped, a sudden wave of immense pain came from the back of her head, followed by her sight blacking out. Damn, it's true... She felt her legs and conscious give in...

_Allen..._

* * *

It's not only Allen who's stupid, she's stupid too.

School started again. TAT Working like crazy since my major exams are coming up. Next chapter is relaxing and laid back and not intense battle. I'm better at relaxing chapters so it should be out faster this time.

Did anyone read chapter 214 and 215 of DGM? I was crying like hell...TAT TAT OTL Allen why you look so shojo?

That aside, I've done my share of 8k words writing...maybe you can do a little for me? like, 10 words? (BTW, i invented a new arrow, just to emphasise)

By just typing here:

Below:

Review:

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	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader Miss Tigger, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

* * *

After the invasion of Headquarters, the atmosphere was of relief but also grievance. Many of the facilities were damaged beyond repair, including Lab 5 and some of the dormitories. The numbers of casualties were huge – the Science Department lost half its members, they were the most devastated. The altar was, once again, filled with black coffins. The tuneless cacophony of crying and grieving echoed.

Allen sighed as he lay on the white infirmary bed. This kind of atmosphere is suffocating, knowing that he failed to protect these people. No matter how relieved he was that some of them survived, the fact that he let others die was undeniable.

There was another emotion in him, a more selfish emotion. It made him feel guilty. At that time, compared to the worrying for the Scientists, the fear of losing a certain someone was more prominent. Compared to the relief of knowing Reever and the others survived, the overwhelming gladness of seeing that someone again was much more intense. He sighed, could he be...

A loud bang from the other room interrupted his thoughts. The door to the girl's infirmary room was slammed open, followed by the sound of Komui screaming, "NOOOOO! My Lenalee! DEM, YOU COLD HEARTED MONSTER! LET ME RETURN TO MY DEAR LENALEE!"

The Head Nurse (who was tying Kanda to the bed) glanced to the door with narrowed eyes. "What's that troublesome girl doing?"

Allen jumped as the door to the male's room was thrown open. He blinked. Standing in the doorway was a seething Desdemona, wearing only a black tank top and black shorts. There were band aids all over her body, considering the massive amount of cuts she got from god knows where. There were bandages around her head, tending to a heavy blow to her cranium from god knows where. Why does she always mysteriously get severely injured?

Komui, dangling from the girl's strangling grip on his collar, wept a river. A swelling cheek and blackened eyes were some of his newly acquired features and tear rolled down from behind his glasses.

"Head Nurse." The girl said through gritted teeth. "I can't stand this anymore. In the infirmary, there is no space for both Komui and I. If you can't stop Komui from coming in, then I will get out!"

The Head Nurse raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to be like Kanda?"

Desdemona blinked and looked past the Head Nurse at a Kanda writhing in his bed. He was tied to the bed frame by 4cm thick ropes and white bandages were around his mouth, serving the purpose of a gag.

She inhaled and shook her head. "So get Komui out of here."

"What about I get you both out of here?" The Head Nurse said threateningly as she advanced towards the girl and the Supervisor. Throwing both of them out the door, she closed the door behind her and proceeded to throw the girl back into the infirmary and the Supervisor back into his office.

Allen smiled. She's lively as always. He feels like he'll be happy for the day, he saw her today. It feels like if he gets a daily dose of "Darmstadtium", he'll be happy. He laughed at himself. He's becoming weird. Darmstadtium is toxic to humans.

"Allen, you have a weird expression on your face." Lavi commented.

Allen turned away from the door towards the redhead, lying on his bed casually with his arms behind his head.

"Could you see my face?" The English boy asked with a frown.

"No, but I can see your cheek muscles moving. I can imagine."

"..."

"I'm bored."

"..."

"Allen?"

"Hey?" The boy suddenly said. Lavi glanced at him. He does have a weird expression on. He's smiling as if he's the happiest kid in the world, but his eyebrows were frowning like he was deeply confused or troubled. "How do you know if you like someone?"

Lavi widened his eyes. "Allen?"

"Just answer the question."

Lavi sat up, propping onto his elbows. "Well, numbers never lie. So firstly, you measure her three measurements with your eyes. The better the body, the more you should like her."

Allen narrowed his eyes. Lavi the pervert. "At this rate, you'll grow to be a pervy old man."

Lavi shook his head. "No, there's more! If her numbers pass, then you should feel it. That's my 'Strike!' Principle. If you want to scream 'Strike!' then you like her."

"Lavi. That's not helpful."

"Basically, if you feel very happy when you see her, then you like her." Lavi nodded philosophically.

Allen looked up to the ceiling in deep thought. Feel happy to see her, eh? For some reason, that's true.

~x.X.x~

Desdemona sat on her bed with a pout. Head Nurse tied both her ankles to the bed frame, so now she can't do anything. She can't lie down properly either.

Lenalee laughed slightly as Head Nurse replaced her tear-soaked blanket with a dry one. "Dem, so Kanda's like you in the other room too?"

"No, I tied his whole body to the bed frame. I gagged him too." Head Nurse explained calmly. Lenalee laughed even more.

Desdemona glanced over at Lenalee, sitting on the edge of her bed. Behind her, Miranda was sound asleep.

She glanced at the blood red rings around Lenalee's ankles. Lenalee showed it to her but she still couldn't understand. She said her Innocence became liquid and she drank it. Her blood bled out with the Innocence and it's now around her ankle.

"Ah! Inspector Rouvelier! Why are you here?" A nurse exclaimed from the outside.

Lenalee visibly tensed at the Inspector's name. Head Nurse turned to the door as she finished laying out Lenalee's new blanket.

"I met with Komui just then...what happened to his face?" Rouvelier's voice came in through the door.

"Ah, Dem is not in the best of moods today...you should be careful too, Inspector."

The girl pouted more. It's not her, it was Komui's fault.

"What a troublesome girl," Rouvelier commented. "That aside, I'm here to see Lenalee Lee and take her to the Science Department."

Lenalee dropped herself down onto the bed and pulled the clean blanket over herself. She turned away from the door. The Eurasian girl watched in silence as the Head Nurse headed over to the door and opened it.

Lenalee froze under her blanket.

"Ah, I'm here to see Lenalee Lee. Is she getting better?" Rouvelier greeted the Head Nurse.

The Head Nurse glanced over her shoulder, only to see Lenalee buried under her blanket. "I'm sorry Inspector, but, Lenalee just fell asleep after Komui left. With her condition, the best and only thing to do is rest. I believe it is not the best time to be doing this."

"Don't worry, Head Nurse. We just need her for a bit, we won't take too long. Plus, she can walk around now, can she not?"

Lenalee clenched onto the blanket tightly, though only Dem could see it.

"But Inspector, you see, Lenalee she-"

The strangest of ideas came to Desdemona. He was told she's not in a good mood, right? He was told to be careful, right?

The good thing is everything she does now can be excused because of her injury.

Grabbing the half-filled glass of water on her bedside table, she threw it towards the door with all her excess energy pent up from being constricted. The glass smashed into the door, next to Rouvelier's head, and shattered to pieces. It successfully sprayed water all over the man's face. The Head Nurse and the Inspector turned to her in shock.

"OH GOD DAMN IT. THE HELL'S WRONG WITH THIS PLACE. FIRST KOMUI AND NOW IT'S NEVER ENDING. DO YOU WANT US TO RECOVER OR WHAT?! LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE, OR I WILL THROW YOU OUT OF THIS WINDOW RIGHT HERE." She screamed at no one in particular, pointing to the window right next to her bed. Note, the Infirmary is on the 30th floor.

Proving her point, she grabbed the vase on her bedside table and positioned herself to throw it. Getting the message, the Head Nurse hurriedly pushed the Inspector out of the room and closed the door behind them. Seconds after, a loud crash was heard against the door as the porcelain vase shattered. Its pieces lay on the floor with the broken glass.

Rouvelier blinked. "My my, the girl's truly not in a good mood. I was warned but to think it's that extreme..."

"Sorry Inspector," The nurse apologized. "She hit her head and had been strange the past few days. The doctor said it's nothing serious, she'll be back to normal once her injury heals."

Rouvelier nodded in contemplation.

"So for the time being," her voice raised a notch to emphasise her words. "As you can see, it's pretty dangerous to enter the girl's room. I don't think you should come here again anytime soon. I will tell Lenalee of your visit and she will visit you when she thinks she's fit enough to travel there. Until then, for your own safety, don't come here again."

Lenalee sat up as she and Desdemona listened to the Head Nurse pushing Rouvelier out the corridor. The Chinese girl sighed in relief. Turning to the Eurasian girl, she smiled. "Thank you, Dem."

"Hmph, I'm in a bad mood and I'm dangerous." She pouted, playing with her new found excuse to everything.

Lenalee laughed warmly. "Still, thank you…"

"You really hate him, don't you?" Desdemona observed.

Lenalee stopped laughing and looked to the floor. "I, I don't hate him. I just become really unsettled when he's around." She smiled embarrassingly. "Usually, when he's around I'd go to where Kanda meditates and just sit there with him. But now, since he's tied in the other room, it doesn't work."

"Well, then that was a vase and a glass well spent." She said, the sarcasm in her voice was meant for humour. But her warped sense of humour didn't get to the older girl, because she ended up apologising.

"I'm sorry. I'm weak. I'm not strong like you."

Desdemona blinked in surprise, "No, you are strong, Lenalee. You are strong. After all, you trusted your Innocence for Komui's sake even if it might have killed you."

"How did you know?" Lenalee asked with a questioning frown. "Did I...did I say something out loud that day?"

Desdemona tensed. That's right; she heard Lenalee's feelings through her Innocence. She shouldn't know...she's not even there at the scene when Lenalee thought that. "U-Er...You know, from the situation, anyone could tell. The fact that you drank it meant you placed your life on the line to trust in the Innocence. And who else could it be for if not Komui?"

Lenalee smiled. "Dem, you are really observant."

The girl laughed awkwardly. "So Lenalee, you are not weak, you are strong."

"That may be so, but I'd like to get stronger for everyone's sake, and for my brother too. I want to be as strong as you."

Desdemona shook her head. "Lenalee, I'm not strong. I'm weak and that's why I act the way I do."

"Eh?" Lenalee tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean? You are always so certain of yourself and independent..."

"But that doesn't mean I'm strong." She shook her head again. "You are stronger than me, Lenalee. I wonder if being independent is true strength. Love can make people braver and attempt radical things like you did. Being dependent might be a good thing. And me, I'm weak, because I don't think I have anything worth sacrificing my life for."

"But, everyone has a reason to fight..."

"Master threatened me. I could have either gone to jail or join the Order. I chose the obvious choice."

"But surely, you must have something you love to keep on fighting, risking your life every day."

"I once did." She sighed, her voice quietened, as if not too sure whether she should say what she was about to say. "But not anymore. I'm scared now, Lenalee. So I don't think I'll ever be able to anymore."

"..."

After a long period of silence, Desdemona laughed. "Sorry, I guess I'm really going strange after hitting my head."

"You should try once more."

"Sorry?" Desdemona averted her eyes from the birds dancing outside, in the wind, to Lenalee.

The older girl was staring at the younger with a determined look. "Try loving once more. I don't know what happened for you to be scared to love but, no one should ever be scared to love. That's what I think, because my world is only held together because of love, after all."

Desdemona smiled, she looked back out of the window; the birds were gone. "Maybe…"

* * *

Desdemona sat, hugging her legs on the raised platform of the training arena. Two bestial males brawled on the sand flooring with wooden sticks.

Another intelligence deficient male sat next to her. Lavi played with her hair absent-mindedly, tickling her upper arms. She pushed him away. So annoying.

Scratching her itchy arm and smoothing down her black tank top, she dropped her legs over the ledge and continued to watch.

Allen was wearing that sleeveless, high collar shirt again. She cannot express how much it irritated her. The stretchy material is too tight and his skin colour too white, drawing her attention to his chest muscles and his arms. She frowned at herself but kept staring at him. Averting her gaze to his face, she sighed.

He swung his half-destroyed wooden pole at Kanda, who dodged the attack easily. He counterattacked with accuracy and his strength controlled, easily splitting Allen's "sword" in two. With a kick in the chest, Allen fell to the ground, panting with a dissatisfied glare at the smirking Japanese.

"I…I can't move." Allen confessed, sweat pouring down his forehead like a waterfall.

Kanda raised the tip of the pole to point at Allen. "Ha! Your bark's worse than your bite, Beansprout!"

"No surprises here, Kanda. I guess I really can't hope to match you with a sword." Allen acknowledged, which caused Kanda to grin proudly.

"Oh, you got that right. So now, how about I finish you off with a crew cut?" The Japanese's eyes glinted evilly. Desdemona sighed, why would anyone suggest betting their hair on anything? Why would anyone agree to such outrageous bids? And why on earth would you want another person's hair, she could not fathom. In conclusion, these two are just intellect deficient.

She noticed an equally evil glint in Allen's eyes. For some reason, the whole time, she watched Allen only.

"I don't remember ever admitting I've lost." The white haired boy suddenly lifted his legs up to bind Kanda's outstretched arm, twisting his body while doing a handstand, he pulled Kanda off balance and pushed him into the sand with his legs. Kanda recovered from the shock and struck back, the two of them completely discarding their pieces of wood.

Desdemona held back a laugh and leaked out a smile. This is amusing to watch.

"This is rare, to see those two hanging out together."

The spectating exorcists turned to see Johnny, in his white clothes from the Infirmary, in a wheel chair. Like everyone, bandages and band aids became trending accessories.

"Johnny! You're moving around all right now?" Marie asked, happy for his recovery.

"Ah them." Lavi stared to explain. "It was just a regular swords lesson…and then it went out of control and they started to wager their hair. Before we knew it, they've been going on for an hour and now it's basically a fist fight." The redhead nodded.

As if proving Lavi right, the two in question screamed at the top of their lungs and lunged at each other. "You pretended to be tired and tricked me!" "Deception is a key strategy!" "Die! You fake gentleman!"

They laughed at the two, giving each other black eyes and swollen cheeks.

"That raid…" Marie sighed. "Was hard on everyone. Allen especially. He's probably feeling responsible for everything that happened."

Desdemona sat up slightly at Marie's words. Responsible for everyone? Does that mean, back then, he said…_I don't want to lose you. Don't leave me._ So…that was just him, feeling responsible for her like everyone else? Most likely, she answered herself. Most likely. Though for some reason, her cheeks still heat up at the memory. His embrace...it feels like it's somewhere she can return to…

She slapped herself mentally. No, no way. Wake up, Dem. Wake up.

"Now, back to business." Johnny dismounted his wheel chair, carrying a kit in his arms, and knelt down between the girl and Lavi. "I'm here to take your measurements for the new uniform. Especially Lavi's, Kanda's, Allen's and Dem's."

"YOU'RE GOING TO WORK?!" Lavi screamed in shock. Workaholics are workaholics.

"You see, you teenagers grow so quickly! Hey! Allen, Kanda! Come here!"

Allen and Kanda sluggishly dragged themselves over to the ledge. Kanda leant his back against the wooden platform; Chaoji praised Kanda's performance out in the "gladiator" ring. Allen, on the other hand, placed his arms on the ledge between Lavi and Desdemona and glanced up cutely with his swollen cheeks. Desdemona tried to ignore him, but she can feel his presence anyway.

Johnny reached out to ruffle Allen's hair with a smile, Allen smiled back.

Desdemona turned the other side and pouted. Stop. Just stop.

Suddenly, a familiar cold chill ran down her spine. This sense, her female's 6th sense told her, is the…!

She shot up and ran across the training arena, dashing for the exit on the other side. Before any of the slow males could feel or understand anything, the escaping girl was struck down by a brick to the head. The bandage around her cranium soaked red and blood comically spewed from her head like a fountain. She went limp and face planted into the sand.

It was only after then, that the males felt the presence of an extremely unpleasant aura.

"And who was it exactly, that gave the 6 exorcists and that workaholic, permission to leave the Infirmary, I wonder?"

The Head Nurse.

* * *

Desdemona supported herself against the wall, everything spun around her, and nothing is still. She wants to vomit. Her head hurts like hell. Damn Head Nurse, she dealt the girl worse damage than the fight. But casting the pain aside, Desdemona is frustrated. She's frustrated that every time something important happens, she gets knocked out. Apparently, they were just explaining Lenalee's new Innocence.

Another wave of dizziness came over her and she toppled forwards. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm just in time. She glanced up.

"Let me help you." Allen smiled gently at her.

She felt her cheeks burn and she turned her face away. "I can walk."

He chuckled and she closed her eyes in annoyance.

Sliding his warm hand down her bare arm, he grabbed a firm hold of her hand. Shivering, she felt herself develop goose bumps. "Wh-what are you doing? Let go." She pulled her hand out of his grip, losing her balance the moment he released her. She toppled backwards this time.

With fast reflexes, Allen gripped her hand again and pulled on her. Her light body crashed into his chest and she flushed. Him placing his other arm around her shoulders didn't help. He laughed more; she could feel his chest cavity vibrating. "You can?"

"…" She fell silent. No she can't, she'll fall and get permanent concussion.

"Dem, if you didn't run, the worse injury she could've caused you was a swollen ear." He pointed out, totally amused.

"Shut up." She snapped. "And let go of me. Stop treating me like a plush doll and hugging me all the time. It's revolting."

"Always?" Allen blinked, supporting her by the shoulders as he frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"Last time you did it, you said a whole lot of weird stuff." She frowned too. Does he not remember?

"Wait a minute," He frowned deeper. "When was this?"

"Don't you remember?" She tried. "After the invasion…"

Allen froze. He remembers nothing. But his loss of memory was not his utmost worry. What exactly did he say to her?

In his moment of distraction, the stubborn girl escaped his grip and supported herself against the wall, inching her way back to the Infirmary. "Guess you did. You were barely conscious after all."

He rushed to her side, grabbing her free hand firmly. It only earned him an annoyed grunt.

"What did I say?" He asked urgently.

"I don't want to tell you." She tilted her head challengingly at him, though it looks more playful and cute than threatening. He smiled with his frown. He's hopeless against her.

Escorting her to the girl's Infirmary room in the dark, he opened the door for her and led her in. Miranda was sound asleep and Lenalee was not back from the Science Department.

"I won't thank you." She told him.

"You're welcome." He returned her rudeness as a gentleman.

"Go away." She waved him away as she grabbed a hold of her bed frame.

"Good night to you too." Allen released her hand and glanced over his shoulder to watch her sit on the white bed, holding her head. He smiled and exited the room.

Desdemona waited until she heard the click of the door snapping into place. She touched the hand that Allen held. She signed. It's so warm, compared to the hand that was against the concrete wall…it's so warm. She clenched her hand into a fist, blaming herself for missing his warmth already.

Allen closed the door and sighed. He's helpless. He wants to be near her, with her all the time. He wants to protect her from everything, including her clumsy self.

"Allen?"

The English turned. "Ah, Lenalee, you're back?"

"Yes." She nodded and pointed a questioning finger at the door Allen just came out from, "Um…"

"Oh, Dem's head was hit pretty badly. The Head Nurse is truly scary sometimes. She couldn't even walk without falling." Allen laughed at the memory.

"Haha, the Head Nurse can be harsh sometimes, but she cares about us." Lenalee nodded and Allen silently agreed.

"Hey, Lenalee?"He said, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Yes?"

"How do you know if you like someone?"

Lenalee drew back at the abruptness of the question.

He scratched his head. "Sorry, that was a weird question…"

"Let's see…" Lenalee glanced up in contemplation. "I'm not too sure but…if there's someone I love, I would always want to be by their side, like my brother for example. And I would also try to become stronger so that I can protect the people I care about most." The girl nodded.

Allen nodded silently too.

"Sorry, that's not really what you mean, is it?" The Chinese girl laughed at herself.

Allen shook his head. "No, no. It's really helpful."

"So, who is it?" Lenalee's tone became teasing.

Allen froze and felt his cheeks burn in the dark. For once, he was grateful for the lack of light. "Um…er…Good night, Lenalee." He said, quickly turning and escaped into the male's infirmary room.

Lenalee chuckled and pulled open the door to her shared room. She jumped slightly, seeing a mysterious lump sitting in the dark with its back towards her. The moonlight shed an eerie glow around the silhouette and it doesn't appear to be moving at all. It was a while before Lenalee figured out what it was.

"Dem, what are you doing sitting there in the dark?" Lenalee asked, slightly vexed.

The Eurasian girl jerked up suddenly, pulling her hands behind her back as she stood to face Lenalee. However, her fast movement disorientated her fragile sense of balance and she fell onto her bed. Clutching her spinning head, she fell onto her pillow with a moan.

Lenalee rushed to the girl. "Dem! Be more careful! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." She squeezed out. "My head..."

Lenalee placed a hand on the younger girl's forehead and frowned, "Dem, do you have a fever? You skin's burning."

Quickly brushing Lenalee's hand away, Desdemona turned to the other side. "I'm fine."

"...if you say so..." Lenalee sighed. She climbed into her own bed and lay down. "Both you and Allen are acting strange these days. Your head is the reason but what has gotten into Allen, I wonder..."

"Beansprout?"

"Dem, you shouldn't call him that. He's growing you know, soon you'll be the shorter one."

"I'm growing too!" She retorted angrily.

"Hehe." Lenalee giggled.

"Can I ask you a question?" The girl sounded like she was contemplating really hard.

The older girl turned slightly to Desdemona. "Sure?"

"When someone tells you 'I don't want to lose you', what does it mean?"

Lenalee blinked. Seriously? Both of them…this kind of questions…could it be? "Did…by any chance…Allen say this to you?"

"…" Desdemona fell silent, feeling her own cheeks heat to intolerable temperatures. "N-no…" She stuttered out. "No, why would he say that? It's someone else, yes, someone else."

The Chinese is barely convinced, but if the girl says so, then she shouldn't pry. "I think, normally, it would mean that person cares for you." She worded her thoughts carefully. Immediately, she heard Desdemona shudder as if in a complicated mixture of disgust and embarrassment. "But I can't pull it out of context, so I can't say I'm sure." Lenalee added, lessening the credibility to her words.

"Ok, thank you Lenalee. Good night." That lump in the bed turned away from Lenalee to face the window.

Lenalee blinked in the dark. The two of them are really behaving strange.

* * *

Allen stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

What did he say to her? Why doesn't he remember anything?

He turned in his bed, only to see Lavi snoring whilst his upper body was dangling off the bed. Allen sighed and turned the other way, staring at the door.

_...feel very happy when you see her..._

_...always want to be by their side...protect them..._

Allen sighed. Everything they have told him is...true. Well, he reasoned with himself, he is happy to see any of his friends and will want to protect any of them...

But he found that no matter how good he is at deceiving others, he cannot lie to himself.

What he feels for her is different, different to anything he had ever felt. It scared him, to think that he might feel this way, it is so unfamiliar. He can't help himself, to be attracted to her.

Maybe...maybe he likes her.

Out of all people, it just had to be her, doesn't it? If he thinks about it, there's nothing likeable about her. She's arrogant, obnoxious, violent and uncaring. However, during these few months especially, he had felt almost as if she cares for him, almost as if he could glimpse a gentler, warmer side to her.

Of course, he might just be imagining things...

But he can't help but to want to be near her...

He buried himself under his sheets.

He's helpless against her.

Timcampy sat silently on the boy's pillow.

* * *

_Chase kept on coughing. The deep, gurgling sound from his chest was audibly loud. She panicked, not knowing what to do as he sprawled on the ground in pain, holding a hand to his mouth._

_She had noticed his changing behaviours. She would often find him sweating during the middle of the night, unable to sleep as if in immense pain. For some reason, he's been losing weight really badly these past few weeks. She knew Cosmo gave them far smaller dinner portions, but Chase had said he's not hungry and doesn't have an appetite. At first she thought he was only trying to keep her from being hungry by sacrificing himself, but when she forced him to eat, he only vomited it all out. He was always feeling tired, his face sickly._

_During the recent few days, she had seen his coughing fits. She suspected his strange symptoms began far earlier than she'd realised. Knowing him, he must have tried to hide it around her. She hated him for that._

_He kept on coughing and she knelt down, trying to help by stroking his shaking back. It was then, at close proximity, that she noticed the small trickles of blood flowing through the cracks between his fingers. _

_But before she had a chance to panic about that, he collapsed._

* * *

Desdemona woke up with a start. She held her own body instinctively, condensing herself into a ball, hugging her knees under her blanket. It was only a stunned while later that she realised she was shaking.

She leant her forehead down, feeling the coolness of her wet clothes, soaked by her sweat.

Why? Why, after all these time? She's been dreaming, recently, about him. Dreaming about him so frequently that it scared her. It pained her.

She misses him so much.

She glanced up slightly. The waning moon shielded by a thin film of grey cloud. Even though it was a full moon today, not much light was shed into the room. She climbed out of bed, her dizziness diminishing by a fraction, enough so that she could walk without falling…though a straight line was still a difficult feat.

She exited the room, needing fresh air to dry her clothes. She would like to get changed, but the Head Nurse wouldn't allow them to leave the infirmary floor.

Leaning against the railing outside the corridor, in the dark, she sighed. Her mind wandered, her mind wandered to many different thoughts. She stared out the window on the other side of the stair well, at the moon hiding shyly behind clouds.

"Haaa…"

She heard a yawn, someone approached from behind. She stayed still, already knowing who it was. For some strangest of reasons, she can feel him when he is near, like his presence is different from everyone else's. She just knows him.

Or maybe, she accusingly reminded herself, that she's just paying too much attention to him after what he said to her in semi-consciousness.

_I don't want to lose you…_

She felt her cheeks heat up involuntarily again, as if the memory activated a valve in her neck arteries that prompted more blood flow into her cheeks. That must be the only explanation, what else could it be?

Allen sighed as he leaned against the cold, metal railing. He looked down the elevator shaft, at the sightless bottom of which the inoperative elevator lay with Hevlaska. He sighed again. The nightmares had been plaguing him during recent nights. He dreamt of people, people calling for his help and he was too powerless to do anything. He watched them as they were devoured by evil, sinking into an endless void of darkness, of torture, of pain. He tried to grab them, but he was too weak. He watched as they were gradually taken over, the process slow. The elongated time frame only emphasised his helplessness. He was powerless, unable to save or protect anyone.

He let them die.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to cry.

Of all times, possibly now is the only time. The only time he can cry without anyone seeing. The only time he can cry without anyone worrying. So the moisture welled up in his eyes, he allowed them to fall. The darkness blurred by tears, he allowed them to fall silently.

"Can't sleep?"

Allen jumped, he just received the worst fright in all his lifetime…When the shock settled, his mind worked and placed an owner to that familiar voice. He panicked. He thought he was alone. "D-d-DEM?!"

"Why are you so shocked?" Her voice was incredulous. He glanced towards her voice and saw nothing but darkness.

"W-were you here the whole time?" Allen stuttered. If she was, why did he not hear her? If she did…did she see him?

"Yes, of course. I have no pleasure in sharing one cubic metre of air with you. Hence I was the first one here; you simply intruded my personal space." She said calmly, but with a compulsory amount of venom. She shifted, and it was the first time he heard her move. He listened a little closer; he could not hear her breathe. "Don't tell me you didn't know I was here."

"I-I…" He tried to come up with a plausible reply, but found none.

"Are you that blind?" She took a step even closer to Allen and stood under the single beam of moonlight, coming in from the opposite window. Allen gulped and blinked. Surely, there she is, in her entirety. He was staring her straight in her onyx eyes, which was only visible because of their reflective quality that enabled him to see the moon in them. He deep breathed, of course, it smelt like her. How could he not have known?

"I-I…" Allen tried to speak again, but failed as miserably as he had the previous times.

Desdemona smirked slightly in amusement, content with her high alertness of his presence while he was oblivious to hers, which led her onto thinking she's probably not a girl. Girls liked men paying attention to them, they liked attention, but she liked the way he was ignorant to her. It made her feel more comfortable. As if because he doesn't know she's here, she is then allowed to stay close to him for a while longer.

She slapped herself mentally. The blow to her head is serious. She reasoned that, it was because Allen is anything but a man that her inner girl is not craving his attention. Yes, this is the reason.

She watched his shocked expression in the dark. His white hair captured the moonlight and shone like it was a light source itself. His white eyelashes outlined his glistening blue eyes. She admired them. Normally, they looked silver and sometimes a dull grey. But under tonight's moon, they looked a wondrous blue. She smirked more; he's fully visible to her. She can see him so clearly…Being used to the dark London streets, she'd classify herself as a nocturnal animal. This made her feel triumphant, as if she was a better breed of human than Allen on the scale of evolution.

Allen watched her smirk, still slightly stunned from the shock she gave him. But soon, he was lost in those moon-reflecting eyes. He stared at the two moons…

He was aware of her sudden change of expression. From the arrogant smirking, she suddenly frowned. It wasn't disapproving…it was…sort of…worried?

He, for some reason, didn't move when she unexpectedly touched a cold hand to his left cheek. He froze at the contact, too aware of her hand. She had never voluntarily touched him, unless it was for the purpose of physically or mentally assaulting him. He braced himself for the blow, both literally and metaphorically.

However, the anticipated insult or punch did not come. Instead, she wiped gently across his cheek. It was when the removed her cold hand, that the smeared moisture caused him to feel an even colder air that made her hand seem relatively warm. He wanted to draw back from her but he was immobile. He could feel his jaws slacken as he realised what she realised.

"Are you crying?" She asked quietly, almost a whisper. Allen relented. He had never heard her talk like this. Never to him anyway. Her voice was soft, but it was warm, it was gentle, it felt comforting.

Nearly, it nearly made him cry in front of her. He turned his head away from her hand, forcefully holding back the tears that threatened to fall. Again. Why does she do it all the time? Just intrude at his weakest. He wondered who exactly intruded whose personal space. Though, he could not bring himself to resent her. Whatever she does, it wasn't intentional, which only made it harder for him. He can't hate her, he can't shut her out.

Desdemona withdrew her hand; he hid his eyes in shadows so dark that even she couldn't see.

Last time. She saw him cry last time too, when he was semi-conscious.

But why?

Then she remembered something Marie said…

_He's probably feeling responsible for everything that happened._

"It's not your fault."

Allen widened his eyes in the dark. She…how?

"You're not responsible."

Allen shut his eyes tight. How can she-?!

"I have always hated this about you." She continued, only with a little more force. "You think you are noble, all high and mighty. You think you have to save every life, keep everyone alive. You are the only moral one, everyone else isn't. Hence you have to shoulder the burden of the world, because in your eyes, you are the only one fit enough to do that.

"And what gave you the right to think like that? Huh? Power, strength, these are things you lack more than a five year old. You have nothing, you are nothing. You are not fit to save the world. Wake up, god damn it, wake up. You are not strong enough or powerful enough to save anything more than yourself."

Allen turned slowly to glance at her. She's right; he's useless, totally useless.

"You, alone, can accomplish nothing. So stop feeling responsible for something you couldn't have done anyway. It wasn't expected of you to save them alone. No one will hold it against you. So stop holding it against yourself. You couldn't save them, can't and never will be able to. That is a fact. Stop wallowing in their death, it has nothing to do with you."

"You may be able to feel nothing, watching someone die, but I can't!" He choked out.

"What do you take me for?!" She gave him a glare that made him wish he could take back his outburst. "Do you think I'm cold hearted? Do you think I can watch death without feeling a thing? Oh how I wish I could do that, but that wish will forever remain a wish. I am human, Allen. If anything, I'm far more human than you are!"

Allen froze. He feels so helpless against her. She would hit him in all his wounds and she knew exactly where to hit. He wasn't half as much human as she is, he knew. His arm, his eye. "I know I'm a monster..." he muttered, which earned him a growl.

"Stop your melancholy already, it's sickening." She frowned deeper. "And not only me, what about Lenalee? What about Komui? Head nurse? The Generals? Lavi, Bookman and even Kanda. Does it not strike you for even once that everyone is pained by the loss of life? So why are you here, grieving in pain as if no one else is feeling as you are? Grow up already; you're a burden to everyone. Everyone has their own problems and now we also have to look out for you. Give it up, Allen, even when others will, I will not be nice and tolerate you."

"I..."

"What do you take us for exactly? How dare you deny our right to grieve? Do you mean to say we do not have the capability to be responsible for the world? Who do you think you are, to dismiss me like that? Do you think I am weaker than you?"

"No. I-"

"No? If I'm not weaker then why do you hog all the responsibility to yourself? Why don't you realise that this responsibility is meant to be shared amongst many? You are not responsible, we all are. Share this burden, share the pain. You will be crushed if you take it alone. Why don't you just realise we are all here? I just hate this part of you. Stop dismissing us like we are unfit to share your burden!"

Allen blinked.

He blinked more.

She huffed in annoyance at him and crossed her arms at her chest. After a while of silence for Allen to contemplate on her words, he smiled. "Thank you, Dem."

During the time he had spent with this girl, he had developed a skill in which he can translate and summarise her words into normal English. For example, "Why aren't you dead?" translates to "I'm glad you're alive." and "Go die in a hole" translates to "please cordially leave my presence." So her elongated scolding and ranting translates to…

"We are all here for you, so don't take the burden by yourself."

"Are you out of your mind?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why would you thank me?"

He smiled a little more. "Thank you."

She pouted. Glancing at him, she rolled her eyes as she saw him smile idiotically at her. _I don't want to lose you…_

She seethed. That idiot, just forgetting something he said so easily. Why do his words affect her so much?

"How's your head?" He suddenly changed the topic.

"I'm still angry."

"I see. Are you still dizzy?"

"You are irritating."

"I understand. Can you walk properly now?"

"I'm going. I can't stand you." She turned and headed back into the corridor. As soon as she stepped out of the light, she became invisible to him once more.

"Dem?"

"Seriously." She muttered under her breath. "Just forgot everything you said to me." Soon, he heard her open the door and then close it. He turned back to the opposite window, sighing. Forgot everything he said? Yeah, he wants to know what he said too. She won't tell him, and apparently no one else was there.

He felt something wriggle on his head and soon noticed Timcampy, buried in his hair the whole time. Tim seemed to yawn and fly sleepily down from Allen's head. Allen smiled. "Hey there." He reached out to habitually stretch Tim's "cheeks". "Do you know what I said?" he asked absent-mindedly. He didn't expect an answer, but when Timcampy struggled out of his hands and opened its mouth, Allen finally remembered Timcampy's abilities.

Allen leaned forwards, watching the projection carefully.

He watched through Timcampy's eyes, he watched himself fall unconscious and slouch against a pillar in a nameless corridor. He saw Timcampy flying around aimlessly in panic; he saw Lenalee trying to wake him and ran to get help. Tim continued to flutter around and soon calmed down and settled itself from somewhere on his outstretched legs.

The same scenery stayed stationary for a long time…possibly 5 minutes. "Tim…what does this have anything to do with…" He started but trailed off.

He heard something, something like running footsteps. Allen leaned in closer as he saw a flushed Desdemona running to his side. She knelt down, face serious. She reached out for him, but froze before she touched him. Her face went white, her eyes became unsure. She stood up and paced in aimlessness.

He smiled; it looked like she was actually worried for him.

Soon, she stopped and returned to his side as he muttered something. Allen listened hard to his own words…he was talking in semi-consciousness to Lenalee, so it wasn't of importance. The girl told him Lenalee was fine and he recognised her. Allen paid attention; he has to hear what he said to her.

She screamed at him, constantly, about his hurt spine and ribs and all other lethal injuries. But he did not seem to listen to her. He moved slowly, painfully.

To his own surprise, he watched as his past self suddenly grabbed her shoulders and pulled her roughly into his chest as some sort of a disabled hug. He wrapped his other arm around her and Timcampy flew away from his leg. He was able to see her face at this angle, she was plain frightened. So she screamed at him more, about puncturing his vital organs.

Shocking himself, once again, he caught himself crying before her. Allen flushed, she's caught him crying twice…and this is what she meant by hugging her all the time…

She was shocked that time, the first time she saw him cry. It seemed like she didn't know what to do. She relented as he held her even tighter.

"_I was so scared._" He heard himself confess and felt an impending doom. He didn't like where this was going. "_I was so scared that I might never see you again. So scared that I might lose you…I was scared._"

Allen blushed; he felt his own heart accelerate in nervousness. What he said to her…Oh god, he wants to go die in a hole.

"_I don't want to lose you…Don't leave me."_

Allen quickly pushed Timcampy away and sank down to the ground. He…said those words to her. Oh god, what is he going to do now? He…he…how could he say such embarrassing words?! Especially when he's semi-conscious! And he didn't remember anything…

This…this might just as well be his confession to her. Oh god, he didn't even have anything to confess to her! And Dem, oh god, Dem must be so angry at him, especially forgetting those embarrassing words after he said them. But wait, she's thick-headed. There's a chance that the full meaning of his words did not register in her head. Yes! That must be the case, or else she would be angrier than she is now!

However, even if she didn't understand the full meaning of his words, Allen himself understood.

Those words…spoken to her in his weakest were…true words he had always meant and would never be able to tell her in normal circumstances. He…these things he said were from his heart and he…he…

_...feel very happy when you see her..._

_...always want to be by their side...protect them..._

True and true…

Don't tell him…

He covered a hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide his embarrassment and shock.

It can't be…

All of this…

All of this means…

He likes her.

* * *

A/N

Hello, long time no see! (read? write?) I am busy to death. OTL I have my major exams coming up which will be even more chaotic. OTL OTL OTL

Give me my life back.

That aside, I'm excited to write the next chapter (yes, forgive me, I haven't started yet) because it will be the Zombie Arc.

For now, bye bye! Until my next update.

Review!

\/


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader Miss Tigger, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

So so so sorry about the long emptiness, even after I promised this one will be quick. OTL I have no excuses.

But before I atone for my sins at the very end, let me wish you a Merry Christmas everyone!

Enjoy.

* * *

"The plan is to rebuild Headquarters in a new location." Komui clasped his hands to together and leant his chin on them. "It's all for the sake of fighting the Earl."

Allen nodded. He sat in the usual red chaise, an island in a sea of paper in a land known as Komui's office. He had been called here, Reever was next to Komui with an expression a little on the grim side. Link stood like a guard next to Allen. He wasn't sure why he was here or why Komui was saying this to him. He had an uneasy feeling.

"Allen…" Komui continued. "You know what the "Power of the Musician" is, right?"

Allen looked down. He knew this topic would be brought up eventually, even when he wanted to avoid this until he had talked to Cross…

"General Cross referred to it as a "song". As long as one knows that "song", anybody can manipulate the Ark. We want you to teach it to us." Komui sighed audibly. "None of this is official yet, but we plan to use the power of the Ark to help establish the new headquarters and also as transportation in our missions. It would prove to be a powerful asset for our side…"

Allen stared at the pieces of paper at the foot of Komui's desk as Komui waited for an answer. A heavy silence pressed on.

Reever approached Allen and knelt down next to him. Komui and Reever both know now is not the best time for this, but they too have been pressured by Central. "Allen, we don't suspect you because you know the "song". You don't have to worry about what some people are saying…" Reever tried, rumours had been spreading.

"No, it's not that." Allen waved in hand. "It's just that…it feels wrong…"

The exorcist watched Komui and Reever's obviously confused expressions at his words. He can't tell them. He can't bring himself to talk about Mana, the code and the song to his comrades. "Having something like this inside me, something that I can't understand…it feels wrong."

Allen grit his teeth and bent over, clenching his head and leaning his elbows on his thighs. He really can't talk about this to anyone.

Except for…he carelessly did to her that time in the Ark. But he doubts she remembers all the details anyway.

_Master! I want him to tell me that it's all ok. It's ok to keep trusting him. To trust Mana._

Allen could do better without such an accurate memory, but Mana's last moments were fresh in his mind.

_Allen…I…Love you._

* * *

Desdemona carried a heavy cardboard box, filled with bottles of dangerous chemicals. She grunted in distaste and jerked her newly acquired tail, thanks to a certain white-haired idiot. She scowled. Why is it so unnecessarily long and fluffy? Being optimistic, she's glad it was at least black. But she wasn't an optimistic person.

She turned around to throw another round of insults at the white haired exorcist. However, she hesitated when she saw the downcast look on his face. Recently he had been looking like that a lot.

She knew. She knew he had a lot in his mind. From the guilt of not being able to protect his comrades, his own perceived powerlessness to the mysteriously suspicious behaviours of Central towards him (aka. Link), he is going through things that can aren't the very least pleasant. However, she also knew that he doesn't talk to anyone about anything. He smiles, he laughs, and he acts. Everyone knows, but he doesn't say anything.

More than that, Desdemona knew he must be troubled by his new found piano abilities, because he told her that time in the Ark. She is troubled by that strange shadow in reflections where Allen was supposed to be. She had seen it many times and it makes her uneasy. Who else can see it? She doesn't know.

She stood before him, but he kept staring at the floor blankly whilst walking. When his cardboard box bumped into hers, he glanced up like he just woke up from a dream.

"Good morning." She said in a sarcastic manner.

"Dem..." He smiled lightly in an apologetic manner and stepped back.

The girl stepped forward, pushing on his box with hers. He blinked in confusion as she stared into his eyes.

"You aren't concentrating. If you spill something else on me again, I will send you to hell myself." She threatened. She reasoned with herself, his melancholy has nothing to do with her. Even if he died it was none of her business.

Then, Desdemona froze. Allen smiled a very weird smile. It was a tired smile, but a relieved smile. A smile that felt warm. A smile that made her heart flutter. It was the most genuine smile she had seen him smile.

"Sorry, Dem. I will concentrate." He looked down again and walked past her.

She turned to stare at his back. She felt like she finally saw something real coming from him. Though that is absurd, because she had seen him cry plenty of times. But maybe this is the first time that he showed weakness whilst he was A, fully conscious and B, voluntarily.

"Dem, Allen! Put these boxes here!" Johnny waved from the other side, pointing to a pile on which boxes were already accumulating. The girl sprinted over immediately, keen to rid herself of the extra weight and dangerous potion. She ran past Allen who was spacing out again.

Allen walked forward, unable to stop thinking about his meeting with Komui and Komui's question. The song. He doesn't even know himself. He wanted a more solid answer from Cross. He needs the answer.

As he walked, his foot got caught behind a pile of stray books on the floor. His body kept going forwards, and eventually downwards. He snapped alert. In an attempt to save himself, he threw the cardboard box away to free his hands to save himself.

Desdemona placed her box down and turned just as she heard a dull thud. Inches from her head, was a boxful of potent chemicals.

A boxful of potent chemicals...

Allen successfully saved himself from an undignified face-plant. He sighed in relief, though his relief was short-lived. He heard a small yelp and glanced up.

A puff of green smoke enveloped the shocked girl. But before the green smoke could clear, a puff of blue smoke appeared, followed by a yellow one, a red one and a grey one. The last one just looked like dust though...

Allen pushed himself up and rushed towards the multicoloured smoke clump. Johnny did the same.

"Dem!" Allen called out, choking on the dust particles amongst other chemical fumes. He waved his hand around in an attempt to clear the fume. "Are you ok?"

Silence.

"Dem! Please answer!" Johnny called.

…

"I'll..." A familiar but shrill voice said in an extremely threatening tone. "Kill you!"

They saw a foreign silhouette, too small to be the girl. There was a tail...and triangular shapes sat on top of her head.

Allen froze when the chemical puff cleared.

There, sitting on the ground, glaring at Allen, was a very young Desdemona. She looked about 6. She was so small, and her oversized clothes lumped around her, hanging on her small shoulders.

Allen blushed intensely. From her tiny body, comparatively large eyes, swaying tail to the cat-like ears that were pressed against her tiny skull, there was only one word to describe her.

Cute.

He watched as her tiny eyebrows furrowed cutely in a cute frown, accompanied by the irresistible cute pout of her tiny lips. Her canine teeth had elongated and they protrude out from her lower lips, another result of the chemicals. But even though they were long, they were tiny.

Allen's heart was going crazy. He covered his face and turned away, "Cute..."

"Shut up!"

Allen was about to collapse. Her voice...her voice is killing Allen.

Reever hurried over. He paused when he saw the girl. "Hey, what a cute kid."

"I WILL KILL-!"

"Oh, this chemical gives cat ears…this one elongates the canine teeth and this one makes her younger." Reever ignored the little girl and explained to Johnny and Allen. They nodded in serious comprehension.

"CAN'T YOU ALREADY TELL WITH THE STATE I AM IN?!"

"There's one more bottle that was spilt, what is this?" Johnny held up the last bottle without a label.

Reever examined it and frowned. "Hm…I don't know actually."

Allen suddenly turned to Desdemona. She glared at him. "What?" He extended an arm and suddenly pulled her off the floor. She clung onto her falling clothes. "Wait-!"

The tall Beansprout easily lifted the little girl and held her tiny form so that she was sitting on his forearm. Desdemona blushed. She's never seen Allen like this before…his chest was broad and his arms felt strong. As the little kid she was…she felt safe and comfortable in his arms…

He turned back to Reever. "We just have to examine her don't we?"

"Good idea, Allen!" Reever nodded with even more seriousness.

The girl struggled in Allen's strong arms. "Hey what are you doing? Let me go! LET ME GO!" She slapped him on the arm over and over again.

Allen smiled cheekily. She's so tiny and weak…and cute. She's so powerless against him now. It's a wonder she can still be so demanding…considering she just lost all strength that is needed to intimidate him.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot up from his arm and he flinched. Allen glanced down at the girl, who glared at him with the same death-inducing glare as ever. He shifted her so he can see his injured arm. There, beneath his ripped white sleeve, were three bleeding trails. They looked like scratch marks.

"Oh, I see."

The boy looked up to see Reever inspecting the girl's hand, or more specifically, her fingers, where her nails grew long and sharp. She pouted and her nails retracted into her hand. She pulled her arm out of Reever's grip. "Why would you guys waste time and make such useless things! Tell me how long these stupid effects last for!"

"You see, I think this potion has a claw-like effect." Reever nodded. Johnny nodded in comprehension. Allen just kept staring at her cute face as she pouted.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!" The girl said angrily.

"You should return to normal height and age in about 4 hours. As for the ears, the tail, the teeth and the claws…they should disappear at around the same time, in 24 hours maybe." Reever nodded more.

"24 HOURS?!"

"I think we should get her changed first. Her clothes are too big." Johnny suggested.

"Allen! Take her to Lenalee and Komui. The Supervisor has a trunk of Lenalee's old clothes!" Reever commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Allen answered enthusiastically and energetically, which earned him an unnoticed puzzled glance from the girl in his arms.

"Hey, Allen! Wait! I SAID WAIT!" The girl clenched tight onto her slipping clothes as he ran to Komui's office. He didn't listen.

Kanda passed without a comment, Lavi was about to eat Desdemona, Lenalee walked passed and squeezed the younger girl to death and proceeded with them. In a flash, they reached Komui's office.

"Brother! We need some clothes!" Lenalee opened the doors and Komui was under a paper mountain. The two teens pulled the man out.

Desdemona stood to the side, unwilling and unable to be of much help. She lifted her legs, they were…normal. She left her boots outside and her legs don't feel light. Maybe she really returned to her body as it was when she was 6.

Komui understood the situation after Lenalee explained and pulled a huge trunk from thin air.

"Dem, come here~!" Komui turned to the kid with a broad smile, which earned him a glare in return.

"Don't treat me like a kid!" She trudged over, inspecting the trunk warily.

"Then I'll leave her to you, Lenalee. Allen and I will be outside." Komui pushed Allen out, patting the kid on the head. Allen on the other hand, waved childishly at the child, who glared at him even more.

As the scientist with sister-complex and the paedophilic English gentleman exited the room, the girl turned around to Lenalee holding a black dress. "Lenalee, that…"

"Just wear it!" Lenalee seems excited. "It looks like you'll fit and you don't wear dresses normally anyway. Plus, with that tail, dresses are the only things you can wear!" The older girl wasted no time in peeling the already falling clothes off the little girl, who objected strongly.

"I can change by myself! Stop treating me like a kid!"

"No, no, no. I'll help you, I'll help you!"

After much not much struggling, the girl slid out of her uniform easily, and then Lenalee slipped the dress over her head and zipped up from the back. Lenalee stood back to admire her work and sent out love hearts from her head. "Dem, you are adorable."

Desdemona crossed her arms and pouted. She hates being treated like a kid. She knows what she's doing! She shifted herself comfortable in Lenalee's old dress. It fits, the size. Dresses and skirts restrict the movement too much, must be aware of undignified positions…

"Dem…I'll leave your clothes in the trunk. When you change back, you'll know where to find your clothes.

When the girls exited the room, the much younger one was devoured by Komui in quite the literal sense. She swatted the Scientist away with all her anger. Allen, she noticed, stood to the side. His eyes were hidden in shadows and his hand covered the lower half of his face. She blinked and tilted her head. Is he doing his melancholic things again?

Lenalee helpfully dragged Komui off the little girl, "Dem, you stay with Allen. You're not used to this body and with all the potions around, it might be dangerous. I'll keep my brother away from you, so rest assured!" Lenalee said, reliably, as she pushed Komui away and waved the two remaining exorcists goodbye.

Desdemona huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms. She glanced back at Allen, who was in the same position. She walked over and kicked his shin lightly. "Hey, what're you doing?"

No response.

"Allen! Allen!" She called.

No response.

Desdemona pouted. She's at Allen's thigh-height. Any form of intense physical assault would be undoable. However, there's one thing she can do.

The little girl prepared her finger and poked Allen extremely hard in the waist. The previously unwavering man bent over in shock. Somehow, his balance gave out and he fell onto his knees to the floor. "What was that for?!" He glanced over to the girl and his heart skipped a beat. Tiny Desdemona in a dress…The cuteness is too painful, it is unbearable. He looked to the floor again.

The girl blinked. Allen's face was really, really, really red. Is he sick? She knelt down closer to Allen, between his long legs, and looked up to see his face. Before she could see anything, his large arms wrapped themselves around her in a vice-like drip. Luckily though, she was small enough that his strength didn't restrict her breathing. "Allen? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered into her hair. "You're so cute." Allen squeezed the little girl into his chest.

"If you dare call me cute again I'll-AAHH!" The girl squealed as Allen lifted her up and off the floor. She held onto Allen's thick neck. She really isn't used to this, looking over his shoulder and down to the ground, the drop looked so far and scary.

"You know what?" He smiled, though she couldn't see it. He readjusted his arms so she was sitting on his forearm, again. "I'll take care of you until you get back to normal." She shifted until she could see his face, which was smiling so brightly. The redness was gone.

Smiling so brightly…She looked away in frustration with a forced "fine".

He smiled even more; she didn't know that was even possible. Or maybe it wasn't real. "Well, let's go eat! We have 4 hours!"

~x.X.x~

Desdemona swung her legs casually as she took small bites from her chocolate sponge cake. Her tail swung around happily and her ears were flapping a little. Allen watched her with all his attention, so focused that the food before him was untouched.

However, Allen's wasn't the only one captured by the little girl's cuteness.

Lavi was screaming "Mini-strike!" like a moron, his lunch also ignored. Lenalee was proud of Desdemona for some reason. Even the stoic Kanda stopped eating his soba and stared at the girl for 3 seconds before muttering "tch" and continued eating.

Desdemona turned a blind eye to everything around her. Her utmost importance was the cake Link made. Despite all of his stalk-ish behaviours, he makes great cakes. That's what he was doing the whole morning, making cakes with Jerry for exorcists terrorized by chemicals.

After a while, she noticed the large man next to her didn't seem to move an inch. The tall pile of plates blocking her light also did not disappear in a few minutes as she had expected it to. She turned to the side to Allen, who was staring at her with a warm smile on his face.

She blinked, getting used to the stares, and waved her hand (which was holding a fork with a piece of cake on it) in front of Allen's face. "Allen?"

Suddenly, he grabbed her tiny hand, leant in, and placed the fork into his mouth, devouring the large chunk of cake she greedily took. He glanced at her with a cheeky smile.

It took the girl a few moments to realize what he did. Her cheeks flushed red as blood rushed to her cheeks.

He. Ate. My. Cake.

Angrily, she thrust her hand forward, poking the fork (that was still in Allen's mouth) hard into the roof of his mouth.

"Mmnfgh." He jerked his head back at the pain and pulled on her hand to get the fork out of his mouth.

The girl swiftly threw the fork down on the table, stood on the bench, and proceeded to choke the life out of the English with her tiny hands. "GIVE MY CAKE BACK!"

Allen comically started frothing at the mouth.

"Aw, how cute." Lenalee watched with an amused expression.

"Not fair, small Dem only plays with Allen." Lavi said with jealousy, pouting.

Allen felt the choking is getting a little too much despite her weak strength. He reached out an arm and swept her off her feet.

"Ah!" She shrieked in shock as she found herself in his broad chest again.

He turned her around and sat her in his lap, keeping her in place with his arms that seemed so big around her. "Stop eating that cake." He picked up the fork again and grabbed a nearby bowl of salad (Link insisted Allen has to eat more vegetables). "Eat this instead." He forked up a piece of lettuce and placed it in front of her mouth with the intention of feeding her.

"Don't mess with me, Allen! You don't want to eat that so you'll dump it into me. No way am I eating that!" The girl spat with cute venom.

Allen held back a laugh. She's too amusing.

"That's not right, children need to eat vegetables to grow." He teased. "Now, say 'Ahhh'."

Instead, he got an elbow to the stomach.

"Let me go!" She pushed on his arms weakly, unable to escape.

"If I eat it, will you eat it?" Allen compromised.

"Let me go!" She repeated.

"Not until you eat the lettuce." He said firmly.

She stopped and evaluated her options. He waited with a smile. Suddenly, she leaned forward and took the lettuce into her mouth with an unsatisfied pout. "Enough?"

Allen was at his limit. He couldn't hold it anymore. He started wheezing, which then turned into snickers. Eventually, he was choking her as he doubled over in laughter.

Desdemona was at the end of her tolerance too. She had to bear with this crazy, cursed person for too long. She had wanted this to end peacefully, considering they are finally off the battlefield for a little, with no blood spilt.

But that's not happening now.

Desdemona opened her tightly clenched fists. Her newly acquired claws sprung out, the sharp tips glinted dangerously under the light.

With no hesitation, the girl jabbed all ten of her fingers into Allen's thighs.

* * *

The young man bowed cordially to the pair of elderly couple as they walked past, politely lifting his hat off in the process. The elderly man nodded and the lady smiled.

Returning his eyes back towards his destination, he frowned.

He had refrained from coming back to this place. He would gladly burn this place down once more. However, the Earl had stopped him from doing so.

At the edge of this small town, the once colourful tents were faded to a sooty yellow. The wooden frames and beams were burnt crisp, collapsing in places and rotting in others. Costumes, flyers, props, everything has turned to dust.

The man tightened his jaws. This place was a place that he despises to the depth of his soul. His childhood, his family and even his life were lost here. Lost forever.

Lost, all but one.

Mony.

On that day, she was in town gathering supplies. On that day, the Earl came. On that day, the day he last saw her, he, too, was reborn.

That day was fated, he knew. The fact that she may still be alive is enough proof. He will find her. He will find her and they will be reunited once more.

Everything will return to how it used to be. He will protect her properly this time. He will do it in this stronger body, a body that will not fail him like his last.

He will find her and protect her, just as Bidelia must have wanted.

With the help of the Earl and the Ark's abilities, he should find her in no time.

And to find her, this is the place to start.

* * *

Allen's lunch time ended quickly with a trip to the infirmary, where some doctor hastily and roughly strangled his bleeding thighs with bandages. The girl was snickering every time he screamed in pain.

"It's your own fault, admit it." She said pridefully, as usual, as she paced in front of him.

Allen flinched slightly as he sat down on a chair, next to a tall pile of books. "Dem…you…"

"Dare to look down on me again and you will receive the consequences." She stopped before him, with her arms crossed before her chest.

Allen pouted. Because of her size he underestimated her. No matter how much he wanted to disagree, he had to admit his suffering is, at most, 16% his fault…14% maybe. The rest is hers. It's her fault for being so adorable, it's her fault for being so fun to tease and it's her fault that he is so infatuated with her.

In conclusion, it's just her fault.

"Dem, Dem. I get your point." Allen nodded. He bent down and extended his arms. "Come here."

The girl raised an eyebrow and entered his strong embrace. He lifted her up and sat her on his thigh, a wrong and painful move indeed. Allen hissed under his breath and adjusted her so that she was sitting on the bit of seat cushion between his legs. To his surprise, there was barely any amount of protest at this stage. Maybe she just got used to him.

"I-idiot. Does it really hurt that much?" She turned her tiny head around and an adorable frown was above her large eyes. Her cat-ears were pressed down in worry.

Allen felt his blood rush to his head. Luckily this appearance of hers is temporary, or else he'd die, one day, of cardiac arrest. "Yes, it does hurt a lot." He nodded into her hair. "That's why you should stay here with me..." Allen hugged her tiny form and leaned into her tiny shoulder. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"A-Allen?" Desdemona said unsurely. He is acting really weird.

"Forever." He whispered in her ear. While his head is turned, he gently and lightly kissed the girl's tiny cheek.

Desdemona froze. She is not used to Allen being like this. Recently, he's becoming weirder and weirder. She swear he is either sick or have gone mad. Is he psychotic? That's the only explanation of his bi-polar behaviours. What's with this warm, fuzzy and giddy feeling he gives off. He's revolting as always, no, even more so.

When the girl snapped out of her kiss-paralysis and was ready to fire complaints to Allen, she found him asleep against her shoulder.

For the next few minutes, she stared at his sleeping face. From a non-biased point of view, Allen is lean and muscular, he has a very strong and defined bone structure but his features are soft and warm. His eyelashes are the killers, being lusciously white and shiny, and draws attention to his pair of wonderful eyes. He is a desirable human being only if he wasn't…only if he wasn't…

Allen Walker.

Yes, that just makes everything wrong. No, the individual named Allen Walker is idealistic, stubborn, ugly, stupid, melancholic, and all the negativities a human could have combined in one.

Whilst knowing that, her mind gradually blanked out. She stared at him with a tilt of her head. Not really thinking, the girl lightly returned a kiss onto Allen's cheek. She, too, fell asleep soon after.

~x.X.x~

Dong~! Dong~!

Desdemona woke to the sound of a grandfather clock ringing 2 o'clock. She gradually opened her eyes and blinked. It's warm, something large and warm is around her. She opened her eyes wider. That's right. Allen Walker is around her…his arms, that is.

She glanced up at the male's sleeping face. Idiotic is the only word that comes to mind. His face spells idiocy and his drooling is idiocy personified. He had removed his head from her shoulder and is now leaning on a pile of precariously balanced books. Precariously balanced…

The girl snapped her eyes open and quickly looked up. Is that a bottle of weirdly-coloured chemical on top of the books? And is it just her or are the books tilting?

She quickly pulled on Allen's tie, half choking and half pulling his weight off the books. "Idiot! Wake up this instance!"

Alarmed by the girl's exasperated screams, Reever looked over from a shelf and Link appeared behind Allen. Reever saw that bottle on top of the books and panicked. "No! Allen! Get away!"

Whatever the chemical was, Desdemona didn't want to be a victim of it. She executed Plan AA: Abandon Allen. Sliding beneath his heavy arms, the girl freed herself and got herself about 2 metres from the impending chemical spillage before glancing back.

Allen was drooling as the books toppled over. The English fell to the ground with the books and the girl watched as the glass bottle chattered against the tiled floor, enveloping the books and the exorcist in a puff of white smog.

She held her breath, waiting for a monster to appear.

Several seconds later, Allen emerged, clenching to his overly long hair, and screamed.

Strangely enough, Timcampy (who was next to Allen on a book, sleeping) emerged with overly long hair.

Desdemona stared incredulously. The chemicals the Science Department makes…

Reever explained something about a hair toner in the background. The girl didn't hear properly. She was escorted by Miranda who offered to help tie up Allen and Timcampy's hair. Someone tapped on her shoulder as she neared a couch.

"What?" She turned and spat.

Surprising her was a Lavi that was the same height as her. Note that she is still under the influence of that potion that made her 6.

"Hey! Now Dem and Yuu and I are all the same!" Lavi said cheerfully after accusing Reever of making weird potions. "We can now play together!"

"Yuu?" Desdemona turned to see a sulky Kanda with oversized clothes sitting on the couch. He was pointing Mugen threateningly at Reever. He was 6 too.

Lenalee offered something about putting Kanda and Lavi in her old dresses and Bookman complained about his hair turning into rabbit ears. Lavi immediately bounced away with Kanda to complain about dresses.

Desdemona placed her forehead into her palm. This absurdity. When can this chaos end, it's making her head hurt.

"Ok, ok. Come on guys!" Reever approached. "We need to get our stuff packed before we move. Everyone help! That includes you, Dem! No more slacking around!"

The girl glared. "I don't want to. You need to pay me compensation for the mental scarring caused by your chemicals before I will lift a finger to help you." She crossed her arms.

"Yes! We want compensation too!" Lavi bounded out from somewhere like the rabbit he is.

Reever stepped back from the intensity of three little kids glaring at him. (Kanda joined in too) "Ok, Ok, kids." He turned to Link, who was standing in front of Allen, watching him getting his hair done. "Link! Give these kids some cake!"

"Cake!" Lavi and Dem said in unison, obviously excited.

"Cake!" Kanda said the word too, only his was in disgust.

"Cake?" Link made the word into a question instead. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid the cake I made this morning was already consumed."

"Aww." Lavi said in disappointment.

"Che." Kanda and Dem said in unison this time.

Almost like instinct, the girl lowered her previously wagging tail and her ears were flattened. After a moment spent pouting and sulking about a lack of cake, Timcampy landed on her head. Her ears perked up again. "Tim?"

The golem flew down from her head and showed off its beautifully tied pigtails, decorated by ribbons.

"Tim, go find a mirror and take a recording of yourself." The girl suggested, intending it to be sarcastic.

The narcissistic golem flew away in search of a mirror after hearing the girl's wonderful suggestion. A larger shadow appeared behind her. The large male lifted her up from behind and habitually sat her on his forearm.

"Allen…" The girl turned and froze.

Long, silky white hair, glittering under the light like silver. Desdemona's heart skipped a beat. Allen's long hair was tied into a low ponytail. It was a simple change and yet, something struck the girl. All of a sudden, he looked so much more mature, so much more dependable, and so much more…handsome.

"Dem? Your face is really red." He said casually.

"Sh-shut up!" She stuttered and turned her face away. _Ew._

"Ok, ok. Let's go carry some boxes now. You can carry the small ones." Allen glanced at the clock, "You only have one hour left until you change back." He walked over to help transporting cardboard boxes and set the girl down beside him.

Desdemona followed closely beside him. "You sound like you don't want that to happen."

He laughed coldly in response. _Oh, and you would know._

Allen walked about the Public Laboratory with the child never leaving his side. He smiled, it feels like he's walking a clingy pet.

_Booom~_

Allen and Desdemona approached the nearest window and glanced outside. A flash of lightning appeared and soon after, another clash of thunder was heard. The male turned to the girl with a smile. She was so tiny that she was to tip her toes and pull herself up with the window sill to see outside. The adoration he had for her increased dramatically. "Dem, are you scared?"

She looked at him with a frown. "No. I'm not a kid, Allen."

_You are._ He kept his words to himself.

"Truthfully speaking, this kind of weather is quite wonderful. It makes my mood better." She nodded.

Allen raised his eyebrows. "Really? Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. When it thunders, I feel better."

"Haha. Considering your Innocence, it might be that you're in your element." Allen suggested.

"Maybe…" The girl trailed off. She glanced in the glass at his reflection. There was no Allen in the glass. That strange, smiling shadow... She frowned.

Allen looked to the glass at the same time, waiting for another lightning strike. Instead, the shadow behind him caught his attention. His troubles flooded back to him and he frowned. Strangely enough, he forgot about those things for the past three hours. Thanks to…

He saw her frowning deeply at him through the glass. He turned to her. "Dem?"

She glared at him, still frowning, and glanced to somewhere above his head. After a moment, she shook her head.

"GYAA~~!"

Everyone in the laboratory witnessed Miranda dumping another box onto Lenalee and Bookman. The usual smog appeared and Desdemona placed her palm to her face. "Not again…"

"Let's go." Allen rushed over, the girl trailing behind him.

"Meow?" Lenalee meowed.

"Meow~ Meow~" Bookman too.

Desdemona arrived next to Kanda and Lavi and saw Lavi shiver. "Gramps…you are creeping me out."

The girl deep breathed. "WHO MADE STUPID STUFF LIKE THIS?! NOW THEY'RE TALKING LIKE CATS!" The many adults around her ignored her.

"AHHH! I'M SORRY LET ME BECOME A CAT TO ATONE FOR MY SINS!" Miranda was holding that same bottle of chemicals, preparing to douse herself with it.

Allen immediately restrained her. "No, no, no! Calm down, Miranda!"

Desdemona bounded over to Lenalee and helped her off the floor. She meowed at the younger girl.

"Tch. We will be in big trouble is Komui found out about this." Kanda commented from the side.

"It's too late." Allen came to help Desdemona help Lenalee. He turned to the little girl. "Hey, you'd be complete with the meowing, don't you think?" He raised his hand to show her the bottle that Allen confiscated from Miranda.

"I'll kill you if you come within 5 meters from me!" Desdemona threatened.

Reever walked past inconspicuously. Allen narrowed his eyes at the Scientist. "I hope you don't have anything worse hanging around, do you?"

Reever scratched his head nervously. "No. No. We don't make anything like that!"

Johnny appeared behind Reever. "Yes! We would never make anything as nasty as the Supervisor!"

"Really now." Allen towered over the short Johnny and glared. Desdemona pouted, there _is _something worse.

"Y-yes!" Johnny stuttered as he replied. Allen's scary sometimes. "We made sure to confiscate all the really nasty things from the Supervisor!"

_Click._

The lights blinked out in the laboratory. Everyone glanced around in confusion.

"What's going on?"

"Is it a black out?"

"Someone go check on the power generators!"

"HIII HIIIIII HIIIIII."

Suddenly, a high pitched voice echoed in the laboratory. Alarmed, everyone gathered closer together. Desdemona raised her cat ears, she can't tell where it's coming from.

"A…ghost?!" Miranda speculated, holding Lenalee's hand tightly.

"No way!" Desdemona denied immediately. However, she found herself subtly grabbing Allen's pants.

"Is Komui messing with us again?" Kanda proposed some plausible suggestion.

"Wait…I hear something." Marie pressed his headphones into his ear. "There are more voices than just this one voice! And it's coming closer!"

Marie looked over to the large double doors that lead into the Laboratory. Everyone else did the same, anticipating the person that will walk through those doors at any second.

"Hiii, hiii!" The voice continued to laugh as the exorcists and scientists held their breath, staring intently at the door. Only the sound of distant thunder accompanied the hysterical laughs.

After a few suffocation seconds, the large double doors creaked open in the dark. A shadow appeared in the doorway. Many squinted to see who it was. Allen and Desdemona, on the other hand, recognized the individual immediately.

"Head Nurse?" Allen stepped forward to see clearer. "It's the Head Nurse!"

"Allen, you can see pretty well in the dark." Johnny commented, still trying to squint the Head Nurse out.

"Ahh that…" Allen turned with a smile that didn't reach his gloomy eyes. "During my training we were stingy so I developed night vision."

"Che, lies. You can't see me in the dark at all." The little girl said, letting go of Allen's pants.

Allen glanced down, seeing nothing. He blinked, he really can't see her in the dark.

"ARGH!"

Desdemona jumped back at the shadow that crossed before her. She looked up to see the Head Nurse sinking her teeth into Allen's hard, red flesh of his left arm. Allen froze, and so did the rest of the bunch.

Some scientist with quick reflexes grabbed the Nurse and pulled her away from Allen. "What's wrong with Head Nurse?!"

"She's angry! Why is she angry?!" Jonny exclaimed.

"Beansprout! You weren't discharged from the Infirmary, were you?" Kanda pointed a small, accusing finger at Allen.

The mentally scarred Allen was pulled back by Reever. "I was discharged properly!"

"Allen." Desdemona was found behind one of Allen's legs. Someone lit a candle so Allen saw her. He found it extremely adorable. "She bit you…that's not normal." She analysed critically.

"Allen, what exactly did you do?!" Lavi questioned from below.

Miranda approached the Head Nurse, struggling in the Scientist's grip. "Grrr~!" She growled.

"Head Nurse! That sounds terrible! Did you catch a cold?" Miranda asked with concern as she approached the struggling Nurse.

Lunging forward, the Head Nurse bite into Miranda's neck.

The crowd acted quickly, separating the Head Nurse and Miranda 50 metres from each other. Miranda collapsed onto the floor in shock, the Head Nurse growled ferociously. Many scientists surrounded her, trying to restrain her.

"Miranda, are you alright?" Marie knelt down next to Miranda as the Scientists struggled with Head Nurse and various biting sounds were heard.

"Th-that was scary…" Miranda whispered, holding her neck. She felt her own heart beat frantically and a strange feeling came over her.

Marie flinched as Miranda suddenly turned to face him. Her expression was strangely blank. "Miranda…are you ok…"

_Kach._

In a blink, Miranda's teeth were in Marie's neck. The large man flushed tomato red and the witnessing crowd simultaneously dropped their jaws. "EHHHH?!"

With a loud snapping sound, the main power chord of Marie's headphones snapped. The man stood up and grabbed Kanda.

"Kya!" Desdemona turned to the scream on the other side, where many Scientists who were previously holding down the Head Nurse started biting other Scientists. Those who were bitten then turned and bit others.

"Hey, Reever. What's going on?" Allen asked as they were backed up against a wall.

"Something, something weird is going on." Reever answered uselessly.

"Please look to the door." Link said to Allen.

The exorcist widened his eyes as more people stumbled into the laboratory. They all looked strange, with unnaturally widened eyes, veins popping at their foreheads and drooling uncontrollably.

"These guys are not themselves!" Kanda exclaimed as he kicked Marie away.

In a split second, every single affected person lunged themselves at the remaining sane group. Their inhuman growling and roaring was deafening.

Lenalee activated Dark Boots and lifted Bookman and Kanda high into the air. "Meow~!"

They glanced down at the group remaining on the ground, but they weren't visible anymore. The abnormal people have formed a mountain on the group.

"Did they get them?" Kanda frowned.

"I'm really sorry!" Light shone from between the piled bodies. "Crown Clown!"

The bodies were sent flying away and from the pile, emerged Allen, clad in his white, glowing cowl.

Little Lavi was holding tightly onto the little Desdemona in fear, the girl tried pushing the red head's face away from her as far as possible.

The abnormal ones growled as they hit the floor. Desdemona pried Lavi away from her and began running for the door, so did the remaining sane Scientists. When she turned, she spotted the idiot apologising to the people he just sent flying. She grabbed his glowing cowl and pulled his along. "Idiot, run!"

Joined by Lenalee, Bookman and Kanda, the group dashed out of the laboratory through an opening. The injured Johnny was carried by Reever. (His injuries didn't heal completely since the Invasion)

As the group dashed down corridors and alleyways, the abnormal emerged from every nook and cranny of the Headquarters. They growled and snapped their teeth. The group lost another nameless Scientist to the beasts.

Desdemona turned into another corridor and emerged at the top of a staircase. The rest of the group followed. Allen was at the very back, knocking back approaching predators.

This, is going to be a long night.

* * *

Kavi: *Kneels on ground and places head on ground*

I am so extremely sorry for the extremely long gap of deadness. I am so extremely ashamed of my lazy and procrastinating and crying-for-three-days-after-reading-the-recent-chapter-of-DGM self that I will commit seppuku. (Japanese samurai suicide of cutting open own guts)

*produces Mugen from belt*

*Prepares to stab self*

Kanda: WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM MUGEN YOU STUPID AUTHOR. DON'T DIRTY MY MUGEN!

Dem: Kanda, just let her die.

Kanda: *Takes Mugen from le Kavi*

Dem: *Offers Thora in blade form* Here, have this instead. Rest in peace.

Allen: You know what? *Amputates own left arm and forms sword* I think you should use this large sword. *gentleman-ly offers his left arm*

Lavi: Or I can smash you with my hammer. *shrugs*

Lenalee: Would it be quicker if I kicked you into space?

Kanda, Dem, Allen, Lavi, Lenalee: GO DIE, KAVI!

Kavi: *whimpers*

OTL

Review to save my life.

\/


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: Don't own D. Gray-Man, never will.**

**Special Thanks To**

**The awesome beta-reader Miss Tigger, All who reviewed, All who faved, All who subscribed, All who voted and All who reads**

Hi guys, just saying the lastest of the lastest bits are un-betaed, I'll update it later. :3 Enjoy~!

* * *

This, is going to be a long night.

The sane group of remaining _humans_ ran subtly into a forgotten storeroom, in a deep and dank corner of the Headquarters.

Closing the door quietly behind him, Allen turned to glance out the glass panel at the top half of the doors. Kanda jumped to stand on Bookman's shoulders and Lavi hung from Allen's arms to see outside. Their eyes darted from the left to the right, watching the savage beasts swarm around the corridors.

The remaining Scientists sat themselves against crates next to the wall, panting and wiping the sweat from their foreheads. Lenalee sank down to the floor in exhaustion from all the running. The little girl with the worst physical stamina was to be found flat on the ground, all dignity thrown aside despite her wearing a dress. Her ears were limp against her skull and her tail lay unmoving on the ground between her legs. She was barely breathing as it was too tiring a task.

"Is this another enemy attack?!" Link speculated, his face full of seriousness, as per usual.

"No…how should we put this…" The scientists muttered quietly, their instinct pointing them to the most plausible criminal.

"We have a feeling it has something to do with a Chinese man with glasses…" Reever muttered on.

Allen turned, throwing the two kids off his arms and went to the crates to rest for a little. The two boys followed him. He blinked at the unmoving lump of flesh on the ground and didn't know whether to be worried or amused. He reached over and gathered the dying girl into his arms and held her in a gentle embrace.

"Arrgh…" The girl moaned, her body ached to the point that she wished she could amputate everything.

"It's going to be ok, Dem. I'll protect you~" Allen whispered so only the girl could hear.

"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PEDOPHELIC CREEP. YOU ARE DISGUSTING DON'T YOU Touch… me…" The girl ran out of energy to scream and no one paid much attention to her. Mostly because the description she gave did not fit with the always gentlemanly Allen at all.

"Once you get bitten, the infection will spread to the rest of your body from the wound. Be careful."

"Infection?" Kanda repeated.

"How do you know that?" Allen asked.

"Because I created the virus."

…

…

Allen and Kanda turned around. There, in between two crates hiding in the darkness, was the criminal.

Komui Lee.

"SECURE HIM!" Reever bounded up in an instance. He pointed a commanding finger at the Chinese man. However, the others acted before his command. Most of the males tackled the Supervisor, tying him up with an iron chain. Allen dumped the little girl in his arms to Lenalee before strangling Komui in a vice-like grip.

Lenalee, holding Desdemona, and Link stood to the side, watching the events like a drama unfolding.

The storm beat against the tall tower mercilessly. Lightning and thunder struck against the cliff. Harsh winds whipped in all directions, ripping leaves from branches and throwing small rocks and sand.

Komui pushed his glasses up with a hand. "Are you saying this is my fault? How could that be?!"

The ones who attacked the Supervisor would be found tied to a large crate using the same iron chain. Various swollen spheres sat on their heads. The crate behind them was filled with circular holes the size of bullets and expressions of trauma were seen on all their faces.

"Is that how you think of me?! Fine then, Komurin EX, shoot them!" Komui commanded.

The large robot, made in the appearance of Komui, stepped forward. It held a machine gun, produced from its own abdomen.

"You already did!" Kanda spat.

"So…strong…" Allen forced out. He was the most injured out of the group.

"IT'S ONLY NATURAL WE'D SUSPECT YOU CONSIDERING THIS IS WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING!" Reever exclaimed angrily.

Lenalee set the little girl aside. She ran to the robot and shook it violently. "Nya! Nya nyaa nyaaa~!"

Komui snapped his head around. "Nya?"

Instantly, all of Komurin's weapons were unsheathed and pointed at the tied group. "What did you do to my Lenalee…"

"Th-that's too hard to explain…" Johnny stuttered.

"More importantly! What are you going to do about this infection?!" Reever glared at Komui.

"That's right!" Allen chimed.

Komui pushed his glasses up again, though they don't appear to be sliding. "I should be the one asking you that. Reever, weren't you the one who confiscated it from me and hid it?!"

Reever frowned and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I confiscated too many of those from you. I don't remember which…"

Komui pouted. "You know, that time when I worked all night and…"

"Ah!" Reever suddenly remembered. "The KomuVita-D!"

"It's that medicine that cures away all our tiredness so we can keep working, you said." The nameless Scientist recalled.

"It's so powerful that it cures away all reason and logic too, you said." Johnny nodded.

"It's was a completely useless treatment for the Overtime Zombie Syndrome…" Added Reever.

Komui pushed his glasses up again. "Let's not worry about what it does. This is totally ruining our moving plans!" He cleared his throat. "This infection can be stopped with the right antibody! There should be an infection source. That is, the first person to be infected with the KomuVita-D virus. The antibody can only be made from that person's blood sample!"

"EH?! DIDN'T YOU MAKE THE ANTIBODY?!"

Komui pointed a high and mighty finger towards the ceiling. "Ladies and gentlemen! Find this source as soon as possible so we can continue our moving preparations!"

* * *

The group sneaked stealthily through the corridors, barely attracting the attention of any of the infected ones. They reached a large window. Allen and Reever, who were in the lead, pressed their backs against the wall and carefully peeked out the window, the infected ones were everywhere.

Desdemona was right by Allen's side, despite her constant claims that the man is paedophilic. Unknowingly, somehow her hand found its way into his. He held her small had tightly in reassurance.

Somewhere in her mind, there flashed past a moment when Chase used to hold her hand so warmly, so securely like this. When Cosmo gives them a hard time, he always held her hand like this behind his back…She shook her head.

Johnny held onto Allen's shoulder and Bookman stood right in front of the window. Because of the Bookman's height, he was safe from view…However, his upright, tall rabbit ears were another case all together.

"They're all over the place." Reever commented. "We might be the only survivors."

"They're not dead."Komui whispered.

"Chief?" Johnny asked, "How do you know where the source of infection is?"

"How?" Komui touched his chin. "I guess it's sixth sense or something?"

"Or something?!" Reever glared back at the Supervisor. "Are you telling me it's guessing?"

Desdemona pursed her lips. What time is it? Is she about to change back? How inconvenient, at this rate, if she can't get her hands on some clothes she will…be naked when she changes back. She started panicking. _What to do, what to do…_

Allen's large, warm hand tightened itself around hers. She glanced up to check on him. His face looked sickly, he was sweating a lot and he clenched his chest with his other hand.

"Allen?"

The male didn't reply. _Could it be…I was bitten by the Head Nurse before…_

"Allen? What's wrong with you?" Desdemona kept asking.

Allen glanced down at her, still sweating a lot.

The girl widened her eyes. "You…you were bitten weren't you?"

Johnny poked his head over. "Allen are you ok?"

Allen released the girl's hand and huddled himself up in a corner. "No-no way, my pride won't allow me to become of those drooling savages!"

Johnny sighed. "You're a proud gentleman, after all…"

"Tch." Desdemona pouted. "Proud gentleman…to hell."

Johnny patted Allen's head. "Don't worry, we can cure you once we get the antibody."

"_I wonder…_"

Allen and Johnny turned to glance at Desdemona. But she was looking out the window. "Dem, did you say something?" Allen reached over and took her hand in his again. She accepted like second nature. "No."

Suddenly, a large shadow blocked the moon light from the window that the girl was looking out from. Allen turned around quickly and to the sight of saliva-soaked teeth. Swiftly, Allen pushed the girl away and activated his Innocence. He drew his sword and blindly blocked an attack.

Allen skid back as the enemy pushed on the large sword with a strength Allen never expected. The walls shattered and glass was sprayed across the floor. The white-haired exorcist glanced up and froze.

"EHHH?!" Everyone exclaimed. "General Sokaro?!"

Indeed, the General stood before them, teeth sharp and dripping with drool. His eyes hollow but deadly, as deadly as the Innocence he wields in his hand. However, the most deadly part was not his strength or his weapon, but the fact that he is naked.

"You won't escape me, my prey~!" He laughed.

"WHAHHAHAHAHAHHAAAA~!"

The group turned behind them at the sound of agonised screams. They froze and were traumatised once again.

In the hind, General Tiedoll sank his artistic teeth into Link's neck. General Klaud bit a madly bleeding Bookman…from his nose, that is.

The generals were all naked.

"OLD MAN!" Kanda pointed an accusing finger at General Tiedoll.

"HOLY-MY GOD MASTER PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!" Desdemona screamed whilst pointing at General Klaud.

_Pya~cha!_

Allen turned back to the front, General Sokaro was spinning his Innocence overhead, ready for another strike. Allen pushed the screaming little girl behind him and Johnny placed his hands on the girl's shoulder, also standing behind Allen.

Allen prepared his sword for the strike, but hesitated as he saw green electric sparks fly out from the weapon. "Hey, Dem, isn't that the same as your Innocence?"

"It's not. General Sokaro's is static electricity. Mine is thunder." She said as-a-matter-of-fact-ly.

"That's the same thing!" Allen argued.

"SHUT UP AND FIGHT ALREADY!"

Within the blink of an eye, the three Generals attacked simultaneously. The ground sank from behind, through the impact of the two giants: General Tiedoll's Innocence Giant and the giant Lau. Allen blocked General Sokaro's weapon but was struggling immensely. Johnny pulled Desdemona away from the fights.

"At this rate we'll all be killed!" Reever cried.

"Do something, Komurin EX!" Komui shouted.

"Roger!" The robot responded. It opened his chest compartment and impressive-looking missiles aimed themselves at the Generals. "FIRE~!"

The missiles left their compartments and the rest of the group froze as they saw the target of those missiles.

Allen turned around at the fizzing sound, to be greeted by many missiles smiling at him.

_BOOM!_

A puff of smoke emerged from the base of this tall, tall tower that stood for more than thousands of years. Black missiles escaped into the sky. The dark, grim, stormy sky was lit up beautifully by a dozen of bright yellow fireworks.

Allen collapsed onto the ground from the impact. He felt his consciousness slipping. "Komui…will you stop it…"

The world darkened around him.

* * *

The aid of the new Ark has made his work all the much easier. The girl wasn't easy to track after all. She leaves no clues.

Huh.

He smiled, but no matter where she is hiding in this world, he will find her. He has many akumas under his command, they conceal themselves in many cities of Europe. If any of them spots an Eurasian girl around the age of 16, then he should know immediately.

Finding her is his duty and obligation, not only for the Earl, but for Bidelia and himself.

The young man paced through the empty streets of a town. There was a thunder storm and it was raining very heavily. The man looked up to the sky and was surprised to see what he saw.

What were those yellow fireworks inside those storm clouds?

* * *

Allen woke with a start, greeted by two tiny hands covering his mouth to prevent him from screaming.

"SHHHHHH!" Lavi and Kanda scowled at either side of the English. Johnny was holding his finger to his lips.

Allen calmed down and took in his surroundings. They were in another storage room, cardboard boxes and crates were stacked everywhere. It appears they have reached a safe place.

"You were really out cold, Allen. It was hard carrying you with this body, you know." Lavi shrugged his shoulders.

"What about everyone else?" Allen asked.

"We were separated in the explosion, so it's just the 6 of us." Johnny said.

"6?" Allen questioned. He scanned the room, there's Kanda, Lavi, Johnny and…and a huddled pile in a deep and dark corner. The robot wept…how is that even possible.

"I couldn't protect my master…I'm a piece of junk." Komurin rocked back and forth in depression as it hugged its legs.

_What a piece of junk…_The human males thought in unison.

"Wait, Johnny. There's only 5." Allen turned back to the Scientist.

"Ah, you see. She-" Johnny began but was interrupted by the sound of a gun loading.

_Ka-chak!_

The human males turned to the sound, the robot wept.

From between two tall crates, a figure emerged. When she stepped into the light, the human males blushed in embarrassment.

Desdemona tied her hair into a ponytail as she stepped out of her make-shift change room. She finally returned to her normal form and luckily, she ducked into her room and grabbed some clothes before coming into hiding. However, the amount of clothing she retrieved was limited. She brought with her a set of underwear and a shirt. Her coat, pants and boots were all still in the public laboratory, and so was Thora.

So she had to wear what she had.

She flicked her tail and perked up her ears. She glanced over at the 2 men and 2 boys staring at her with large eyes and red faces. She raised a challenging eyebrow. Immediately, the 4 looked away, frantically trying to look at something else in the room.

Allen felt dizzy as the blood rushed to his head. She was barely wearing anything, and still, her shirt was unbuttoned. Her black underwear was in plain sight and a large amount of her pale, smooth skin was showing. Allen deep breathed, nothing was covering her legs…at all.

No matter what she says, he is a man. He can't stand it, if it continues like this.

He clambered up. "Dem, you should put on more clothes." He walked over to her, where she appeared to be trying to take something out of a crate that was really heavy.

"I will if I can find more clothes." She busied herself with opening another crate, her tail flicked around. "Don't worry, gentleman. I'm not naked."

"At least put on some pants." He said with frustration. Her flicking tail kept drawing his gaze over, which in turn makes him look at her…hind side.

Suddenly she turned around and looked him in the eye. "Pants?" She tilted her head.

"Yes…" Allen nodded doubtfully, his doubt caused by the strange glint that came into her eyes. Her face was serious as ever.

She stepped towards him, face unchanging. He noticed her ears flatten against her skull and her tail was lowered. Allen tried to back away, but there was a crate. She stepped even closer to him, so close they were almost touching. Allen started sweating madly, from his own panic to the apparent heat that seemed to build up in the room. He glanced down to see exactly how close she is to him, but he could only see her bra. He glanced up and away quickly, avoiding eye contact with her. His throat became dry and he swallowed.

The girl suddenly reached down, her hands landing on the buckle of his belt. She fiddled with it with her long, slender fingers.

Johnny covered the eyes of two stunned kids and faced his back to the English and half-cat. "Kids shouldn't see things like this."

Komurin wept.

Allen was just as stunned, so he stayed still as she pulled the long leather out from the silver buckle.

When her fingers reached the zipper of his pants, the English woke up and jumped away quickly.

"W-WHAT ARE Y-YOU DOING?!" He held his belt and attempted to do it up again, but his hands were shaking so much that it was impossible. He continued sweating madly as more and more blood rushed to his head. He felt dizzy and his heart was racing along a high-speed race track. His face heated up so much that it could boil water.

The girl's ears flapped up straight and her tail raised itself and waved around. She shrugged. "Oh, you told me to wear pants so I thought you were giving me yours."

Allen immediately collapsed back against the door where Johnny and the two kids were. He shrunk up into a ball and clenched his permanently scarred heart. A comical stream of tears rolled down his face.

Kanda shook himself free from Johnny and stood over the Beansprout with a scowl, as he always does. "Tch."

Johnny released Lavi and worriedly bends over Allen. "A-Allen, are you ok?"

Lavi squatted near Allen's head. "Don't worry, Allen." The kid patted Allen on the head. "This is the season cats go into heat."

Allen sprayed blood from his nose, mouth and eyes.

_Plak~_ "Ow!" Lavi clenched his head, something hard hit the back of his head. He turned and glanced up but saw underwear. The rear of a gun made another impact against Lavi's face. The child collapsed next to Allen, clenching his swelling head and cheek. "OOWWW!"

"Don't say weird things Lavi." Desdemona adjusted the mini-sized machine gun in her hands and frowned. "And Allen, can't you even take a joke."

Allen sprung up. "THAT'S NOT SOMETHING TO JOKE ABOUT, DEM!"

She shrugged. "What, it's just pants…"

Allen almost cried again. However, he pointed a finger at the machine gun in her hands. "What is that?"

She gave him a weird look. "A machine gun."

"What do you need it for?" He kept asking.

She frowned. "Idiot. It's to fight against those zombies out there." She shifted the gun to her right hand whilst using her left to hang a belt of ammunition diagonally across her shoulder.

"Y-you're going to shoot them?" Allen widened his eyes.

"Of course! I don't have Thora, what else can I do?" She loaded another belt of ammunition into the gun.

"Wait, Dem! You can't shoot them!" Allen grabbed the tip of the gun and pulled on it.

She frowned and held on even tighter. "Let go."

"No."

"Let go."

"No."

"Let go!"

Allen's left arm activated and slashed the gun into four pieces instantly.

Desdemona blinked. She frowned and glared at him. "Hmph!" Angered, she pushed him hard on the chest, he stumbled back a bit and deactivated his arm. He blushed madly again. He can't stand it when she touches him. Someone give her some clothes, now.

_Knock knock~_

Instinctively, the exorcists jumped away from the near the door. Allen carried the immobile Johnny. They waited with baited breaths, who knocked on the door?

"Allen…Lavi…open the door…It is me…"

Lavi recognised the voice. "This voice…isn't it Crowley?"

"That's right." Crowley said from the other side of the door. "Please open this door."

The group inside the room stared at the door with a certain amount of doubt and suspicion. It's nice that Crowley finally woke up but…

What's this bad feeling.

"He may be infected." Komurin suddenly stated from the back of the room. "Opening the door would be disastrous."

In a swift motion, Allen, Kanda and Lavi pushed the robot in front of the door. Johnny watched with a dismayed expression. Desdemona was trying to pull out another riffle from another crate.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Komurin cried as it was pushed towards the door.

"Go open it," said the three male exorcists simultaneously.

"NOOO! You're awful! It's common sense that in horror films, I will die as soon as I open it!" Komurin cried from its nose.

"It'll be fine." "It won't follow that pattern." encouraged Lavi and Kanda.

"It's painful for us to make you do this, Komurin!" Allen said.

"No, I won't open it!" Komurin cried.

Allen held the robot's arms tight. "Listen…Komurin!"

"NO!"

Allen sighed. "Since we've been separated from Komui and the others, Johnny's the only one who can make the KomuVita-D antibody." Allen explained.

"That's right!" Johnny agreed.

"The only troops we have remaining are myself, you, a few useless kids and…" Allen glanced over, only to see the girl's waving tail and her hind side as she bent into a deep crate trying to pull something out. "A cat." He returned his gaze to Komurin.

"So please," Allen half-closed his eyes in a flirtatious and hopeless manner. "You're the only one I can count on!"

The sound of blood-red roses blossoming filled the room as the robot fell into the deep abyss of love.

_Bonk~_

Komurin fell onto the floor, going limp as it clenched its aching heart from this burst of love. Standing above it was a fuming Desdemona. "Don't get in my way!" She said as she kicked the robot away…away from Allen.

Loading the rifle in her arm, she strode towards the door.

Allen blocked her path. She glared at him "What?"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING DEM?!" He scolded her.

"Opening the door. If Crowley's normal, nothing happens. If he's infected, I'll shoot him in the head. Easy." She shrugged.

Allen looked down, shielding his eyes in the darkness. In a flash, the rifle in Desdemona's hands shattered and Allen deactivated his arm. He glanced up at Desdemona.

The girl froze. She blushed and she stopped. Allen was looking at her with half-closed eyes, batting his eyelashes at her. His brows were furrowed helplessly and his lips pursed in a begging way. "Dem, please don't do that."

The girl felt dizzy at the tone in Allen's voice. What is this?

Allen immediately swept the girl, in her full size, off her feet and carried her bridal style. She, being trained to do so in her small form, hugged his neck tightly. She became increasingly aware of his hands…on her bare waist and thigh…

He carried her over to a tall crate deep into the room and sat her on top of the wooden object. He looked up her with begging eyes, her blood rushed to her face. "Stay here, ok?" He said with the tone he used all day, that of an oldie talking to a kid.

The girl flushed and turned away. She crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine, go get yourself killed."

Allen went to the centre of the room and picked the robot up. "You see? I can rely on nothing but you." He frowned.

"What's this farce?" Kanda commented at the side.

"Yeah, robots aren't part of Allen's love for humanity." Lavi nodded.

"Allen's had bad experiences with previous Komurins before so…" Johnny elaborated.

"OH! THIS IS LOVE! MY HEART! IT ACHES!" Komurin said.

"Will you open the door for me?" Allen asked gently.

"YES!" Komurin answered. It rushed to the door and pulled. "I'M OPENING IT YOU BASTAR-"

_Plonk~_

Komurin's instant K.O followed after. The foot of the vampire was where the robot's head was supposed to be. The robot's head, was on the floor. Soon after, the entire metallic body of the robot fell to the floor.

The exorcists and Johnny froze and gawked. It was exactly as the horror films. Desdemona smirked triumphantly. This just proves that she was right. The bonus being the ever so annoying robot got what it deserved.

Slowly, Crowley emerged from behind the half opened door. His face was just like those of the infected ones, featuring bulging veins, wide eyes and drooling. "You should've opened the door quicker. NOW I'M IRRITATED!"

The vampire took a hold of the chains around his body and swung it to attack the group of exorcists. The sane ones jumped out of the way and the metal chains dug deep into the wall behind them. Allen looked back at the vampire, and frowned at the set of devil's wings on Crowley's back made of his own blood.

In Allen's moment of distraction, the zombie vampire grabbed his foot and swung the English around and around. A few seconds later, Crowley released Allen who was then sent flying.

Desdemona saw that the situation wasn't good so she jumped up. With her legs back to the way it was, she ascended with speed. Once she was high enough, she perched herself on the top crate of the stack and watched the show from above. Retreat is the best strategy when she doesn't have Thora.

Kanda and Lavi, whilst out of their mind, approached the vampire trying to attack him with their tiny fists. However, before either of them could land a hit, the powerful zombie vampire grabbed both of their heads and smashed them against each other. The two kids then fell to the ground groaning in pain. Crowley then proceeded to deal with Johnny.

Crowley drew his arm back, building up the strength into a punch. Johnny cowered against the wall behind him but is unable to escape. Crowley's fist came flying towards Jonny, who shut his eyes.

However, the expected blow did not come. Johnny opened his eyes, the one who was sent flying came back with his Innocence activated, his sword blocking Crowley's punch.

Allen smiled, "It's nostalgic isn't it, Crowley? The first time we met, we were fighting like this too." Accompanying his gentlemanly smile, his fist buried itself into Crowley's stomach. The zombie vampire groaned and coughed. Suddenly, he spat something out that landed with a soppy splat onto Johnny's face, coated in zombie saliva.

The vampire gritted his teeth in anger and without a single moment of hesitation, returned a punch into Allen's face. Allen immediately fell onto the pile, consisting of the headless Komurin at the bottom, Lavi and Kanda, and Allen on the top.

Johnny examined the lid as he dragged it out of the saliva on his face. He frowned. "This is…"

Crowley, seeing as there was nothing of interest any more, flew through the door like a black whirlwind.

"AH!" Johnny exclaimed. "AFTER HIM! Crowley just spat this out! It's the lid to the container of the KomuVita-D!"

The injured individuals half listened as their faces and bodies swelled painfully in all sorts of places. Desdemona jumped down from the crate, landing on the ground with the grace of a cat. "What?" She responded.

"D-Dem…" Allen said her name in an accusing way, which was ignored.

"That means Crowley is the source of the infection!" Johnny elaborated.

Desdemona nodded in understanding. "Antidote!" In a flash, her weightless legs carried her out the door, chasing after Crowley. Not many seconds afterwards, the rest of the idiotic humans caught up. Desdemona slowed herself so that she was behind Komurin and Allen. As if she's going to fight at the front.

"RAARARRRRRRGHGH!" She turned at the sound of growling behind her and saw the infected Generals pursuing at their tails. Desdemona instantly increased her speed. She wouldn't want to face that either.

Chasing Crowley, the group was chased by the Generals. They turned into corridors, up and down staircases and in and out of rooms. For some lucky reason, they managed to survive for about 20 minutes.

However, 20 minutes was her limit at this speed. Desdemona, who ran in front almost the whole time, began slowing down. She could feel her muscles screaming in pain and she could feel her heart was about to burst. She slowed down, which placed her next to Allen, who was near the back of the running formation.

The white-haired exorcist noticed and frowned. He glanced at her flushed and strained face and noticed her obvious ailing physical strength. Reaching out, he tightly grabbed her hand with his and pulled her along. The girl glanced up to see his face but he kept staring ahead.

Finally unable to tolerate this endless chase, General Sokaro raised his Innocence and plunged it deep into the fragile concrete ground. The cracks caused by the impact crawled at lightning speed until they reached the feet of the humans. The ground beneath them folded and collapsed and they, too, tripped and fell.

The infected ones pounced on the fallen survivors instantly. Bookman grabbed Lavi and General Tiedoll grabbed a hold of Kanda. They each respectively sank their teeth into the small arms of their students.

Allen groaned and tried to look up. The exhausted girl laid beside him on the floor, unable to move. Johnny crawled to Allen's side, trying to help him up. Allen held the girl's hand tighter, she's the one he can't lose.

Johnny saw Lavi and Kanda being assaulted so he summoned Komurin, which was found lying in the corner, unmoving, playing dead.

Mere seconds passed and the two kids were turned into vicious beings. From behind Johnny, General Sokaro's large, scarred hand came down and pulled Johnny from Allen's side. The General bit the scientist's scrawny arms, and Johnny, too, became one of them.

Allen tightened his jaws, his body won't move properly. He used all his strength to hold the girl's hand but it appears her body was in a worse state than his. "Dem! Dem!" He tried to call out.

The girl stirred and lifted her head up to look at him. She saw him crying in despair. However, before she was allowed to respond to him, she felt two strong hands attach themselves to her legs.

Allen saw her eyes widen in horror before she was violently pulled away from his grasp by none other than General Klaud. "No!" He screamed, but it was futile. He watched as the general bit into the bare flesh of the younger girl's thigh.

Allen froze for a few seconds. The girl was limp and unmoving, he couldn't see her face. He didn't know what to do.

Then suddenly, the girl pushed herself up. The General released the girl and Allen fell back onto his elbows. From the girl's eyes, he could tell she was infected. His brain wasn't functioning properly and he knew it, because all he could think of was that she wasn't drooling and was very thankful for that.

He froze and laid there unmoving as she slowly crawled towards him. His heart beats were frantic but he didn't know if it was fear. She slowly crawled towards him and suddenly, he paid extra attention to the fact that a lot of her skin is showing. The bite mark on her thigh was bleeding, but his straying mind found the scarring and the scarlet trail down her pale, smooth thigh strangely attractive.

She crawled over his legs and kept moving up. He stared straight into her intense eyes as she approached him at an extremely slow pace. The other infected ones did not seem to move, or maybe Allen was just seeing things in slow motion as they said one would when near death.

Whatever it is, Allen's lips felt dry as she placed her hands on either side of him. Her legs were on either side of his legs as she loomed over him. Slowly, she leant down. Allen closed his eyes.

Strangely, the bite didn't come. But what did made Allen bleed anyway, through his nose. The girl trailed her tongue up the side of his neck. He shivered. As romantic as the act should be, Allen feared. The way she licked him was similar to one slowly and sadistically savouring one's prey before killing it.

And then she bit him.

* * *

After this small group was entirely wiped out, Komui's group, who were separated by Komurin's missiles, were also completely wiped out. There were some other insignificant details about a ghost but that's unimportant. The important thing was, Komurin managed to synthesise an antidote, but was destroyed after the first infection it healed.

Bak, who came to help with the move, was greeted by the apocalypse. After many many many hardships, he managed to synthesise a vaccine and returned everyone to normal.

However after this incident, the Headquarters were actually, officially, completely and utterly destroyed.

The End

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…

Or not?

**Welcome to the bonus section! This is the author's way of making a short chapter long! Please enjoy the always classical…**

**BIG BLACK RIDING HOOD AND THE LITTLE, CAKE-LOVING CAT**

Once upon a time, in a place far, far away, there lived a boy. He had a head of pure white hair, glittering silver eyes and a prominent red scar that runs through his left eye. His left arm was also red and deformed. Everyone in the village was afraid of him.

To hide his hair, his eyes and his arm, he wore a big black riding hood. No one in the village knew his name, so they called him Big Black Riding Hood.

One day, Big Black Riding Hood's guardian, Komui Lee, said to Big Black Riding Hood, "Please take this basket to your Master Cross. Tell your Master Cross that the cake labeled 'Eat Me' makes one older and the drink labeled 'Drink Me' makes one younger."

"Ok, Komui. I will be back soon." Says Big Black Riding Hood as he took over the basket. He reached down his back and pulled on his hood before opening the door.

"Be careful, Big Black Riding Hood!" Komui said, "Don't let strangers touch these potions I made!"

Big Black Riding Hood walked through a small, winding path, for Master Cross lived in an isolated house deep into the forest. He spotted a red-haired boy with an eye-patch, two large rabbit ears sat on his head as he hopped hurriedly away. "My name is Lavi the rabbit and don't stand in my way because I'm late for an appointment with my Panda Gramps, the Kung fu Master!"

Big Black Riding Hood stared after the rabbit with wide eyes, but then a shadow loomed behind him. He turned back to see a tall, black-haired man. His teeth are sharp, his ears were large and his nails sharp. "W-wolf?"

"Psh." The big bad wolf scowled and turned around. "I don't like eating scrawny beansprouts, even if they grow into a Beanstalk that can reach the sky."

"Who's a Beansprout!" Big Black Riding Hood screamed, but the wolf was already out of sight.

A butterfly fluttered past Big Black Riding Hood, "Hello. I am Lenalee. I am born from within a flower"

"Hello." Big Black Riding Hood replied as she fluttered away.

Big Black Riding Hood walked on for a while, and then sat down in the shade of a tall, big tree to have a rest. He lowered the basket down onto the ground beside him and pushed back his hood. There came a sudden rustle of the shrubs nearby. Big Black Riding Hood glanced over and saw a shadow. "Who is there?" He asked.

A small girl emerged from the low shrub. Her eyes were big and black, whilst her equally black hair was tied into a ponytail. She wore a simple black dress, its thin straps hung from her small shoulders. The fluffy triangular ears and her long, black tail gave her away. She was a cat.

Big Black Riding Hood smiled and extended a hand to the small creature. "Come here."

The little cat flattened her ears against her skull and approached him with caution. She neared him slowly, never leaving her large eyes from his gentle, silver eyes. They stared at each other for a while before the little cat jumped onto his arm and swiftly climbed into his shoulder. Her tail swished around in excitement whilst her ears were perked up in curiosity. She touched her nose softly onto his cheek, smelling his scent.

"Haha." Big Black Riding Hood giggled as the little cat tickled his cheek. He raised an arm up and swept the little cat off his shoulders and into his chest. He leant back against the tree and began stroking the cat's soft hair and ears.

"Meow~" The little cat purred as she rubbed her head into Big Black Riding Hood's large, warm hands.

"Ahaha, you're very cute." Big Black Riding Hood said.

"Don't call me cute." The little cat frowned up at the large man and pouted.

Big Black Riding Hood smiled more, "Oh, but you are."

"Hmph!" The little cat swatted the man's hand away with her tail and curled up into a ball on his lap. "I'm tired." She announced before covering her face with her tail and falling asleep. Big Black Riding Hood laughed more, she really is cute. He gently stroked her head and leant back against the tree. Soon, he, too, fell asleep.

The little cat woke to the large man's hand on her back. She got up on all fours and stretched her back with a purr. She shook off the man's hand and turned around in his lap. She glanced up, he's asleep. That's no fun.

She pouted before she spotted a woven basket, covered by a cloth, next to Big Black Riding Hood. Raising her eyebrows, she lifted the cloth slightly and was excited to see a delicious-looking cake labeled "Eat Me". She happily devoured it in a few gulps.

Suddenly, she fell down at the loss of balance. The confused cat stared at her hands before she realized her limbs were growing longer at an alarming pace. She froze in shock as she grew, and when she unfroze herself, she had stopped growing.

Slowly, she stood up and glanced down her body. With doubt, she lifted her hands and touched her ears. She felt down the side of her face, her neck. Her breasts were full, her waist thin and her hips wide. She glanced behind to see her tail, it has grown long. The dress she wore also became big, for it still fitted her, only a little stretched at the chest.

She glanced over at Big Black Riding Hood, still sleeping. Stomping over, the cat grabbed onto his collar and pulled him up. "Wake up!"

She watched as Big Black Riding Hood stirred and opened his eyes. His eyes were confused at first, but then he started bleeding from his nose.

The cat dropped the man, who collapsed onto the ground, his mind blank and heart beats erratic. The girl that stood before him was beautiful beyond words. He glanced up again and noticed her black hair, ears and tail.

"Wh-what happened to you?!" Big Black Riding Hood pointed a finger at the cat.

"That's what I want to ask you!" She exclaimed. "What happened to me? Why have I grown older?"

"Grown older?" He frowned and snapped his eyes to the basket, where only the drink remains. "Did you eat that cake?"

"Of course I did!" She frowned incredulously.

"Don't of course me!" He shook his head at her.

She narrowed her eyes at his outrageous claim. "Return me to normal."

He grabbed her hand, grabbed the basket and started pulling her along deeper into the forest.

"Where are we going?!" She demanded as she tried hard to keep up with his pace.

"My Master Cross lives deep in this forest. He can return you to normal." He explained.

The human and the cat sped through the forest and arrived at a pompous log house just before sun down. Big Black Riding Hood knocked on the log door, his other hand holding the cat's hand…paw. The basket was now in the cat's paws.

After a few seconds of waiting and the sound of walking, a tall man with bright red hair opened the door. He was smoking and drinking wine at the same time.

"Argh, what are you doing here idiot pupil?" The man said with distain.

"Master Cross!" Big Black Riding Hood said, "Please return this cat back to normal." He gestured behind him.

Master Cross craned his neck and spotted the cat in a black dress. He immediately pushed Big Black Riding Hood aside and bowed to the cat. "Oh, what a beautiful sight that greets me. Please, come in and have some tea while you explain the situation."

The cat sat down at a table at the Master's invitation. Big Black Riding Hood followed, scowling at his Master's flirtatious behavior. The red-haired man entered the kitchen for a few minutes before emerging with two cups of tea. He set a cup before the boy and the other before the cat.

"So tell me what happened." Master Cross rested his chin on his clasped hands.

Big Black Riding Hood took a deep breath and began explaining. From the two chemicals to the cat eating the cake, most of which made no sense but Master Cross happened to understand it.

"That's the story." Big Black Riding Hood concluded, taking a huge gulp of his tea.

Master Cross nodded in comprehension. For a few seconds, it was quiet in the log house, but then came the loud clatter of the wooden chair falling and the dull thud of Big Black Riding Hood's body falling to the ground.

The cat stood up in shock. She glared at Master Cross, who began laughing. "Oh, how long have I waited to use that potion. Oh, don't look so nervous, my lady, your tea is completely fine."

"What did you do to him?"

"I gave him a potion that will cause him to sleep forever. Only a kiss of love can break this potion's effects!"

"Why did you do this?!"

"Oh, I am actually an octopus witch from the ocean. I am actually a woman." The Master stood up and began peeling his own face off, to reveal a golden-haired woman with a scar on her face. "My name is actually Klaud. MWAHAHAHA MWAHAHAHA!"

"What's the sound?!" Suddenly, a small robot pushed opened the door, followed by 6 more similar robots. "We are the 7 little Komurins! Hi-ho! Hi-ho!"

"Gah! I must escape!" Witch Klaud said as she jumped out the window.

"Oh, beautiful cat, what can we do for you?" One of the robots said.

"Um…carry this man onto that bed over there." She pointed.

The robots then proceeded to lift Big Black Riding Hood onto the table, spilling a few cups of tea in the process.

The cat shook her head and rolled her eyes. Incompetent fools. She glanced at Big Black Riding Hood and pushed back his hood. She stared at his peacefully sleeping face, he sleeps like a princess. A kiss of love, huh? It must be a coincidence.

Leaning down slowly, she watched his unmoving expression. She stared at his silvery-white eyelashes and the scar over his eye. She wondered, but didn't pay much heed. She closed her eyes and gently, she pressed her lips against his.

The 7 little Komurins standing around the table blushed their robotic blushes.

Pecking the human tenderly on his lips, the cat pulled back and opened her eyes. She continued to stare at Big Black Riding Hood.

Several seconds passed and slowly, his eyelids fluttered open. He stared blankly at the ceiling at first, but then he saw a person standing next to him. She smiled at him.

The 7 little Komurins cheered.

Big Black Riding Hood sat up abruptly and his eyes darted around. He was in his Master's log house but his Master was nowhere in sight. He turned to the cat beside him. "What happened?"

"Oh I don't want to explain." She shrugged.

Allen rubbed his eyes and blinked several times, because he think he saw her ears and tail disappearing. After a few blinks, her ears and tails completely disappeared. "Wh-what's happening to you? You became…human?"

"Oh, I was originally human. But it was some spell that turned me into a cat, only a kiss of love can return me to my former self." She explained.

"A kiss of love?" Big Black Riding Hood tilted his head.

"Yes! The same kiss that revived you, sleeping handsome man!" One Komurin said.

"A, kiss of love?" Big Black Riding Hood repeated once again. He looked to the girl in the black dress and was shocked to see her holding the "Drink Me" potion. "What are you doing?"

"What does this do?" She asked.

"It makes you younger…" Big Black Riding Hood replied.

"Oh, then that's perfect. If I drink this then all of this weird potion and spell effects will be completely gone!" She opened the lid to the drink.

Big Black Riding Hood sprinted over and stopped her. He took the drink from her and smashed it to the ground where it shattered. "Don't drink this!"

"Hey!" She frowned at him.

Suddenly, he dropped to one knee and took a hold of her hand. "Please don't go back to being a child. Stay the beautiful woman you are and marry me!"

"Oh, ok." She replied swiftly.

Church bells ring and white carriages were pulled.

They lived happily ever after.

The End.

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Really this is now the end…

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Seriously.

Now go and review :D

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